Singapore – Ox Street, a Singapore-born sneaker-focused marketplace, has expanded its presence to Malaysia and the Philippines to connect with its rapidly growing base of buyers across the region. This comes as the e-commerce secures successful funding from a bridge round bringing its total funding to above US$1M. 

Ox Street is as niche as it gets, choosing sneakers as its main product, and going in the direction of resale for its sellers, while a bidding process for its buyers. 

Commenting on the expansion, its CEO and Founder Gijs Verheijke (pictured) said, “Our journey in the last 18 months has been extraordinary, and our launch in Malaysia and the Philippines marks the start of our further expansion in the region. The priority is to continue to keep Ox Street’s Asian credentials in order to help us grow our market share in the region. Our core focus is its product and service-driven approach which is apparent in our success to date.”

Following its recent expansion, consumers on Ox Street can buy and sell on the platform in more than eight markets across the region. Sneaker brands sold on Ox Street include Nike, Air Jordan, Yeezy, and Adidas.

The company believes the demand for its platform is credited to the rise of Gen Z Asian investors, collectors, and fashion-conscious consumers, who are reaching their peak in terms of spending power.

“They are breaking down all negative connotations often linked to re-sale, reinventing the fashion and luxury sectors,” said the company in a press release. 

“We are the only regional player in the space with a mobile app, and one that is design and UX driven in their product. All this is making a difference to create a modern and go-to brand for our Asian audience. We have built a trusted platform for buying and selling the best limited-edition sneakers and we look forward to a positive and successful 2021,” added Verheijke.

Manila, Philippines – The National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines, or NADPOP, an organization in the country for data privacy and protection, has announced a training and certification program for Filipino micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) on data privacy and protection fundamentals to help them manage the privacy of their customers online and offline.

The program, which equates to ₱3.8M in total value, is specifically targeted to members of BounceBack PH (BBPH), a movement that started on Facebook and was created during the onset of the pandemic to help entrepreneurs, front-liners, and disadvantaged communities in their recovery from the crisis. Currently, it has more than 70,000 members with industry verticals communities and regional and city-based groups.

NADPOP, which is a non-profit organization that serves and protects Data Protection Officers (DPO) in the Philippines, will work together with BBPH to identify a total of 100 recipients of the program and will make the announcement in the coming weeks. Each of the scholarships is worth at least ₱38,000 based on commercial rates. 

NADPOP together with BBPH partner, Bluepoint Foundation, a non-profit open-source education & development center, will be providing the eLearning infrastructure for the program.

According to Sam Jacoba, NADPOP’s founding president, most MSMEs have less than five full-time employees, making the training program a top necessity for businesses’ online transformation journey.

“The shift of businesses online has exponentially increased the reach of MSMEs which brought a lot of opportunities, but at the same time, this increased the risk of their customer databases being breached by hackers,” said Jacoba. 

NADPOP will be conducting four classes with 25 participants each. Primarily, the scholarships will be given to active members of BBPH and its communities. Those that are deemed qualified for the program are those that have an ongoing business, are currently financially-challenged, are diligent with their business requirements, and are ultimately those that are seen to implement what they will learn from the course. 

Once participants have finished the course, they will have to take a certification exam, and once passed, will gain a Data Privacy Specialist certification valid for two years.

“We welcome this generous support to our MSME members from NADPOP as now more than ever, protecting the personal information of customers should be top of mind of all entrepreneurs going online,” commented Jason Dela Rosa, founder of BBPH

“We also welcome the scholarships that NADPOP is going to provide to our members who will not be able to afford the training especially during this time of the pandemic. We thank NADPOP for responding to the call of the Digital Bayanihan Initiative of BBPH, which aims to help our members be better than ever and shine through the pandemic,” added Dela Rosa. 

BBPH members who won’t be selected for the 100 scholarship grants can still avail of NADPOP’s Data Privacy training and certification program which will be afforded on a competitive rate exclusive to active members of the community. All participants of the program will then be part of a ‘Community of Practice’ of data privacy and protection practitioners, whom they can consult with as they continue with their online transformation efforts. 

Manila, Philippines – YouTube is a lot of things for people, and one of them is being a haven for fandom – both towards beloved brands as well as favorite artists and TV personalities; which is why when advertisements house both of these, viewers flock to YouTube and murder the play button.

As the new year ushered in, YouTube has rounded up its top ads for each month in 2020 to bring a full-year review of the brands and ads that captured Filipino viewers’ attention the most.

Top favorites came out to be ads that not only advertise but also offer short, entertaining narratives. Those that also delivered a music-video-like ad alongside original music also topped monthly reviews. Meanwhile, an e-commerce brand proved its marketing’s strong traction, coming out three times as a top ad this year.

January: Andok’s’ ‘Ang Chibok ng Puso ni Piolo’

Long-running chicken restaurant in the Philippines Andok’s raked in million views for its ad called ‘Ang Chibok ng Puso ni Piolo’ at the beginning of the year, which means ‘the beat of the heart of Piolo’. Aside from the fact that the ad featured Filipino veteran actor Piolo Pascual, the short film also tickled viewers’ hearts as the story gives off the classic childhood romance narrative.

February: CIMB Bank Philippines‘ ‘One Shot at Love’

The Filipino unit of Malaysia’s CIMB Bank was the top YouTube ad in February with its short feature ‘One Shot at Love’. Just like its predecessor, the ad also spoke to the hopeless romantics, delivering a quick love story birthed from an interaction on a dating app. The bank brought home the message of ‘saving’ by saying “Love never announces its arrival. Be prepared for it.”

March: Lazada’s 8th Birthday Sale ad in the Philippines

One of the top e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia, Lazada, celebrated its 8th year in March and for its Philippine communications, it featured one of its endorsers, famous Filipino YouTuber, and fashion personality Mimiyuuuh. The ad gave its own rendition of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song.

April: Suzuki’s all-new Suzuki S-Presso

April’s top YouTube ad in the Philippines is the showcase of Suzuki Auto Philippines’ new car model, S-Presso. Without any extravagant gimmicks, the ad comprehensively gave a blow-by-blow of the model’s parts and features. With the lockdown in place, more and more car brands are moving digital-first in their model launches.

May: Lactum 3 & 6 ‘s ‘Alagang Ramdam ng Bawat Pilipino’

Children’s milk brand Lactum 3 & 6 made many hearts a tender with its special ad for Mother’s Day. Showcasing a montage of mothers, the ad featured moms from different parts of the Philippines with a voice-over of a little girl, baring a message of thanks. The ad also showed a lot of scenes of mothers connecting to their children through a video call implying the heights of the pandemic.

June: Smart Communications‘ ‘The Captain has landed ahead of time!

In June, telco Smart Communications surprised fans when it revealed that its newest endorser is Crash Landing On You star Hyun-Bin, who played Captain Ri in the romantic Netflix series that gained huge popularity in Asia. The ad’s title refers to the telco’s sneaky marketing move, releasing the ad ahead of the date it earlier set. The Korean actor’s ad was later followed by an endorsement from its female co-star Son Ye-Jin.

July: OPPO Philippines’ #LiveAllOut

OPPO Philippines released its newest model in July, Oppo A92, through a modern and vibrant music video called ‘Live All Out’, performed by famous comedic YouTuber Alex Gonzaga and Filipino rapper Matthaios. Throughout the video’s run, the model’s specifications are showed one by one. The ad also brings the message of how the OPPO model can help one live his or her life to the fullest.

August: Samsung’s AirDresser

Although more muted from its counterparts, ads of good and innovative products continue to pique the interest of Filipino viewers. For the month of August, the top ad was Samsung’s AirDresser, a timely product in the mid of the pandemic, having a built-in jet steam which is said to eliminate virus caught by clothes’ fabrics. The ad was a brief 15-seconder, but nonetheless attracted a huge number of viewers.

September: Lazada Philippines’ ad for its 9.9 Big Brands Sale

For the second time, e-commerce Lazada entered YouTube’s top ads, and this time, it’s for their 9.9 sale. Together with its main endorser, actress Kathryn Bernardo, the ad also featured Mimiyuuuh and broadcast personality Sam YG. It was a quick spot, reminding shoppers of the sale’s main perks on the platform.

October: Safeguard’s ‘HUGAS NA RIN ‘YAN’

Another rapper hooked Filipino viewers on YouTube. P&G’s soap brand Safeguard in the Philippines flexed its creativity muscles by whipping up a rap song called ‘Hugas na rin yan’, which means ‘It’s already washed’. The song was performed by rapper Gloc-9 and a personified ‘germ’ dubbed as Fred D’ Germ. The fierce, upbeat music was accompanied by stark cartoons.

November: Lazada’s 11.11 sale

Following Lazada’s big announcement of Korean superstar Lee Min Ho as its first region-wide ambassador, localized ads in different markets have been rolled out meshing together the regional endorser and the local ambassadors. In the Philippines, that ad became a hit, which is a third time for the brand belonging to YouTube’s top ads.

December: Pepsi Philippines’ ‘Pepsi Loves Christmas

Being a sentimental time for everyone, Christmas is one of the best times for brands to reach out to their audiences, and Pepsi Philippines’ Christmas ad ‘Pepsi Loves Christmas’ had been able to do it right, with it being YouTube’s top ad for the month. Similarly headlined by actress Kathryn Bernardo, the Pepsi ad gathered different personalities from music, social media, and sports. Showed as one big group of friends on a video call, the personalities went on with usual Christmas traditions, inspiring with a message that despite celebrating from a distance, people can “still love Christmas.”

YouTube said in a press statement, “These 12 ads showed brand resilience and relevance, the power of storytelling, and the new realities of life as a result of the pandemic.”

Winners of YouTube’s ads leaderboard are determined by factors such as watch time, organic views, and audience retention.

Manila, Philippines – Alpha Tech, a Canada-based e-sports tech company has announced its expansion to the Philippine market, thanks to local-based e-sports entertainment company Nexgen, with which they announced a partnership.

Nexgen, which is based in the province of Cebu in the Philippines, has hosted several tournaments including a mobile tournament called ‘Battle of Truth Tournament’, where Season 1 and 2 had 200 teams registered in each, totaling over 1,200 users.

Through the newly-found partnership, Nexgen will utilize the platform Alpha Tech uses, GamerzArena. Aside from its exclusivity, GamerzArena will also be used in Nexgen’s upcoming events with different universities in the Philippines, as well as different contests with professional streamers and e-sports teams in the Nexgen database.

“We are proud to partner with Nexgen and their current reach in the Philippines will provide us with access to thousands of new users for GamerzArena. Nexgen is also working with many different esports teams and universities and we look forward to showing these organizations our platform and adding them to our umbrella of partners,” said Matthew Schmidt, interim CEO of Alpha Tech.

Meanwhile, Jasper Jay Lataza, CEO of Nexgen, commented, “The goal of Nexgen is to expand e-sports in the Philippines. In partnering with GamerzArena, they will help us further achieve our goal of providing e-sports events for the aspiring gamers. The partnership will help players and teams further showcase their talents in gaming.”

Manila, Philippines – As the lead creative partner of Philippines’ tourism department, creative agency BBDO Guerrero has long been spearheading the department’s campaigns, but this time, an upcoming collaboration between the two takes on a different view – a campaign that will see promoting Philippines’ tourism amid the new normal.

On Thursday, the agency revealed that it has bagged Tourism Promotions Board’s (TPB) account, an agency under the country’s Department of Tourism (DOT), to develop two promotional campaigns. 

The first one is the ‘Domestic Tourism Welcome Back’ which aims to encourage local tourists to visit Philippine destinations in order to help rebuild the economy, while the second assignment, dubbed as ‘The New Normal for Travelling’, is a campaign targeted at informing people of the travel safety protocols as they visit and explore the country.

BBDO Guerrero is most notably known for being the creative brains behind DOT’s highly acclaimed ‘More Fun In The Philippines’ campaign, which was first launched in 2012. The two upcoming projects with TPB will be complementing the said campaign. 

“BBDO Guerrero has played a significant part in Philippine tourism promotions ever since the DOT developed ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’. We are delighted to have them as partners as we invite the local touring public to help the tourism industry bounce back from the challenges of the pandemic,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Atty. Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones

In April, DOT and BBDO Guerrero launched a campaign called ‘Wake Up in the Philippines’

The assignments will cover a broad range of materials including videos, virtual tours, outdoor placements, and a variety of digital assets. In April last year, the agency has already helped DOT’s communications adapt to the new normal by releasing a series of films called ‘Wake Up in the Philippines’, aimed at making the country a top destination for foreign tourists as travel restrictions ease. 

BBDO Guerrero Creative Chairman David Guerrero shared, “It is an honor for us to be involved in the reopening of the country to local tourism. And we are excited to share this with everyone as we help our local tourism workers rebuild their livelihoods.”

Manila, Philippines – Shopee continues to be steadfast in its mission to bring more MSMEs online by offering new educational and enhancement tools and services in aiding MSMEs’ business activities to be more seamless and effective.

The newest announcement from Shopee is in response to the growing number of online merchants in their platform as physical stores close down during the pandemic. Shopee will initially show support for MSMEs by developing the Shopee Seller Education Hub, maintaining a robust digital infrastructure, and reinforcing partnerships with various organizations. 

Shopee’s tools announcement are the company’s commitment to expand its digital network to help retailers future-proof their businesses, embrace digitalization, and establish a successful online presence.

“The global situation has accelerated digital transformation, as more brands and MSMEs explore the opportunities of e-commerce to reach a wider audience. As the marketing landscape changes at a rapid pace, Shopee will continue to offer improved in-app features and initiatives to cater to the growing demand for e-commerce here in the Philippines,” said Martin Yu, director at Shopee Philippines.

The Shopee Seller Education Hub functions in the way that it hosts modules on how to cultivate an online presence and boost sales. Such ‘masterclasses’ include sharing how-tos on running effective campaigns and growing the business, proper guidelines on handling return and refund requests, managing listing assets, boosting sales using available marketing tools, and creating awareness of the target market through activity and business insights.

Furthermore, Shopee helps sellers maximize their online presence by offering their in-app features such as Shopee Live, which helps them engage more with customers through polls and games, and Shopee’s in-app digital wallet ShopeePay that allows sellers to withdraw their earnings conveniently.

“Shopee wants to make e-commerce accessible for everyone. Our goal is to evolve quickly to cater to our customers’ and sellers’ needs. Shopee continuously provides different initiatives that enable our retailers to go digital easily and quickly. It is a commitment that we take seriously, and we will continue to connect people and businesses, support MSMEs’ transition to a digital economy, and power the next wave of growth in the industry,” Yu added.

Shopee also revealed that it is strengthening its partnerships locally, teaming up with regional and provincial offices of the country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as well as with online sellers through various regions and provinces of the country, and with organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to which they provided more than 500 women entrepreneurs with integrated digital marketing training.

Manila, Philippines – As early as 2018, global furniture manufacturer IKEA has spilled the beans that it will be establishing its first store in Southeast Asia country the Philippines – and not only that – a branch that is dubbed to be the world’s biggest store yet of the Swedish brand.

Artist impression of IKEA in the Philippines.

Come November 2020, the company has launched a mass recruitment drive, unveiling its plan to hire nearly 500 workers across functions of sale, recovery, and food assistance, and customer service, ahead of its eyed opening this year.

On professional network site LinkedIn, IKEA has recently posted a slew of vacancies for marketing including its search for external communications specialist.

With the company set to soon become fully operational, with an e-commerce site slated to go live before the launch of the physical store according to a Rappler report, it is only expected that the Filipino arm of the brand would start ramping up its marketing.

For the external communications specialist, IKEA Philippines is looking for “an energetic marketing enthusiast with a passion for home furnishings, advertising, PR and events” to help the brand successfully communicate its brand promise of “creating a better everyday life for the many people.”

Although titled as ‘specialist’, the post is listed as an entry-level position. The position’s main responsibilities would be assisting in the development of external communication materials through advertising and public relations, and will also contribute to the planning, coordination, and execution of campaign-related events.

Other qualifications for the candidate, IKEA wrote, would be having little to one year of experience in marketing communications especially in advertising or communications supporting retail launches and activities. The qualified candidate is also expected to be a people-person who enjoys interacting with people, and someone who has a flair for engaging people at all levels and for influencing outcomes. Ultimately, IKEA Philippines is looking for someone who can identify with its values and share its beliefs in brand positioning.

Aside from the communications specialist, IKEA Philippines is also in search of a social media manager who is meant to develop and implement a market search and social media strategy and framework for the brand. Vacancy for a loyalty officer is also up in the furniture brand to support the brand’s loyalty programs IKEA FAMILY and småles loyalty programs through contribution to marketing campaigns and communications aimed at the acquisition and retention of the said programs. All job posts are stamped with a deadline of applications by 30 January 2021.

IKEA Philippines repatriated Filipino nationals from IKEA stores worldwide.

Before the new year kicked in, IKEA revealed on its LinkedIn that it has undertaken as well a recruitment move that would both see the nurturing of existing IKEA talents as well as the activation of the strategy of localization. In late 2020, it has shared that it has repatriated 20 Filipino nationals who have garnered strong IKEA experience from overseas operations all over the globe.

Ahead of the opening of both its online and physical stores, IKEA PH releases its official job posting for key marketing positions.
The new IKEA store is being built at the country’s SM Mall of Asia.

The new IKEA store is situated in the country’s SM Mall Of Asia in Pasay City which is also the country’s largest and one of the biggest malls in the world. The 65,000-square meter branch, which will house its warehouse, e-commerce facility, and call center, is said to amount to the size of 200 basketball courts. The furniture giant, in total, has more than 400 stores in 50 countries.

Manila, Philippines – Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the company behind the Filipino arm of Shakey’s, revealed on Tuesday that it is set to open its first branch in neighboring Southeast Asia country, Singapore. 

The franchising agreement is inked as a seven-year deal with Singapore’s Brenrich Pte. Ltd, allowing it to make inroads in the newly acquired market. 

“We are thrilled to restart our international franchise journey in Singapore, which is at the forefront of global recovery, and we are fortunate to have Brenrich as our [franchise] partner in the Lion City, given their rich experience in the restaurant industry,” said Vicente Gregorio, president, and CEO of Shakey’s.

The new branch will be located in Lucky Plaza mall, along iconic Orchard Road, and is set to open late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2021.

Lucky Plaza mall in Singapore.

According to SGP Business, Singapore-based Brenrich’s principal activity is food courts, coffee shops, and eating houses. Brenrich director Wong Ban Ming said he was “very happy and excited to bring Shakey’s to Singapore.”

Wong, who is also a franchisee of Filipino restaurant brand Tapa King in Singapore, said, “We are certain that many locals, and especially the overseas Filipinos miss Shakey’s, and this will bring back a sense of nostalgia.”

The new branch will be offering Shakey’s complete menu including its thin-crust pizzas and iconic chicken and mojos, although some items will be tweaked to comply with halal standards in consideration of Singapore’s large Muslim population.

In the second half of 2020, Shakey’s has subsequently announced new products and new business movements. In August, the restaurant has similarly partnered with Singapore-based R&B, to bring the milk tea brand to the Philippines. Meanwhile, in the latter part of the year, Shakey’s launched a ‘Plant-based’ burger, which is a first-ever by a restaurant chain in the country. 

Gregorio said, “While the Covid-19 pandemic is presenting challenges to food companies like Shakey’s, it is also serving as an impetus to turn a crisis into an opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Jose Arnold Alvero, Shakey’s vice President for international operations and franchising, said, “The primary target market initially will be Filipinos living in the city-state. But the Lucky Plaza outlet is also seen to attract Singaporeans, as it is located along a busy business district.”

He added, “We have no doubt that Singapore’s discerning guests will be wow-ed with what Shakey’s [will bring] to the table in terms of building the brand, people, and the store.”

Shakey’s currently has three stores outside the Philippines in Dubai. It has a total of 242 branches located around the Philippines.

Manila, Philippines – In the Philippines, no one has yet braved to give top e-commerce platforms Shopee and Lazada a run for their money, but that just might soon change. 

Raffy Tulfo, one of the country’s most popular broadcast journalists and public affairs personalities, has launched his own e-commerce platform. 

Officially unveiled in December through a digital press launch, Tulfo’s platform ‘Idol Shopping Network’, shortened as ISN, aims to create a marketplace where the safety of both buyers and sellers are of utmost priority.

According to a report by Manila Bulletin, ISN is actually owned by Tulfo’s kids, where Tulfo and his wife are just acting as ‘support system’ to the business.

Idol Shopping Network’s logo. Screengrab from YugaTech.

Despite only standing in as a ‘supporter’, it seems the new e-commerce platform is set to embody Tulfo’s branding of ‘safe’ and ‘lawful’ transactions. 

Tulfo is mostly known as a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred commentator and champion of the poor who has several public service programs under his belt – long-running radio program WANTED SA RADYO (Wanted in radio) and noontime newscast IDOL IN ACTION – both of which have Tulfo acting as a mediator for any grievances and complaints of injustice from the public. 

Tulfo during one of the live broadcasts of his radio program on his YouTube channel.

According to Manila Bulletin, the broadcaster shared that while he himself hasn’t experienced any inconveniences or fraud with shopping platforms, he has received many e-commerce-related complaints on his radio show and television program.

“For example, customers would order peanuts but they would receive popcorn. Problems like that,” said Tulfo. 

In November, the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) revealed that a total of 14,869 complaints have been made against online shops in 2020, where ninety percent involve the more familiar platforms Shopee and Lazada. 

With ISN putting a premium on safe transactions, Tulfo said the platform would run a one-of-a-kind system that would ensure products are safe from the seller down to the rider and buyer. 

A report by Philstar shared the said process. In an exclusive interview, Tulfo revealed that ISN will be both lenient and strict to sellers – the e-commerce platform welcomes sellers with zero capital, where sellers only need to put out their goods, provided the merchandise passes quality control standards by ISN. 

Tulfo said merchants will be well-screened, where the selection process will be “long and strict,” where rather just simple photos, products must be seen live by ISN.  

To further ensure the process is a hundred percent safe, a little effort will also be required by customers. Tulfo shared that customers must sign a contract agreeing to be videoed and photographed while opening the package from the courier. They will also be asked to sign a document stating the product is the right one and is sent in good condition, and if otherwise, the customer need not pay for the order.

Tulfo shared that his long-term plan for ISN is to subsidize a school out of its profits, where earnings will go to such basic expenses as employee pay, maintenance, and others.

Upholding the character of fairness he is most known for, Tulfo promises that he will welcome buyer complaints on his own ISN’s products. 

Singapore – YouTrip, Singapore’s multi-currency mobile wallet has forged a partnership with Visa, to accelerate its expansion to the rest of Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia and the Philippines. 

Currently operating in Singapore and Thailand, the partnership comes a year after YouTrip’s first regional expansion to Thailand in partnership with Kasikornbank, one of Thailand’s largest banks. 

YouTrip believes the new partnership presents an opportunity to solve a unique pain point for Southeast Asian travelers, with regional travel poised to be the first step towards international travel recovery. 

“Unlike regional travel in other parts of the world such as Europe or the United States of America, traveling within Southeast Asia requires multi-currency spending. Coupled with the year-long pent up demand for travel and cross-border payment, this puts YouTrip in good stead for further expansion,” said the company in a press statement.  

It added, “Leveraging on Visa’s global network of 70 million merchant locations worldwide, YouTrip aims to enable Southeast Asia travelers with access to cross border payment solutions such as wholesale exchange rates and no foreign currency transaction fees in over 150 currencies.” 

YouTrip looks to Malaysia and the Philippines as the next potential markets in the next six to 12 months, where the company, referring to a PwC report, said both countries are two of the fastest-growing Southeast Asian countries in mobile payment adoption. 

Caecilia Chu, co-founder, and CEO of YouTrip shared, “Our partnership with Visa will enable our continued growth to drive the next generation of payment innovation of cross border payments. We are incredibly excited for the opportunities ahead to serve millions of consumers in Southeast Asia and empower them with the solutions they deserve.”

Kelvin Lam, regional general Manager of YouTrip, added, “In a short span of two years, we have established YouTrip as a leading multi-currency wallet in both Singapore and Thailand. With our strong foundation, we look forward to combining our market-winning expertise along with Visa’s payment innovations to the rest of Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia and Philippines,” 

Meanwhile, Visa’s Head of Digital Partnerships for Asia Pacific Matt Wood commented, “We are excited to work with YouTrip across Southeast Asia to provide consumers and businesses with a multi-currency payment solution that is ideal for international eCommerce and cross-border travel. Together, we look forward to bringing faster, safer, and more convenient digital payments to people across the region.”