Tag: Singapore

Singapore – Technology company Yahoo and StarHub, Singapore’s official broadcaster of the Premier League, have teamed up to launch a dedicated Premier League topic hub on Yahoo Singapore. This will serve as a one-stop destination for avid Premier League fans, comprising all the latest news, results, analyses, and player transfers during the 2022/23 season.

As part of the campaign, which will run till 31 December 2022, readers will be able to access all Premier League-related content within the topic hub – featuring a mix of Yahoo’s editorial and aggregated content and StarHub’s branded content that includes pre-match predictions, post-match reviews, and team and player analyses. 

Moreover, connecting users to their passions and as part of efforts to continually reinvigorate content, the topic hub will see the launch of an all-new ‘Footballing Weekly’ talk show that discusses the latest news and issues surrounding the exhilarating football action, co-hosted by Yahoo Editor, Chia Han Keong, and author and Yahoo columnist, Neil Humphreys.

The campaign will also serve as the twelfth man to StarHub’s exclusive Premier League offerings – combining the best of contextual advertising and branded content into a relevant, useful and seamless branded experience for StarHub and its target audience.

The takeover will see the StarHub Premier League banner replacing the regular Yahoo banner with a prominent feature on the hub, alongside other StarHub ads that take readers to StarHub’s online store to explore the Premier League offerings and packages.

Carol Tay, Yahoo’s senior director of sales for Southeast Asia, shared that at Yahoo, they constantly explore new and interesting ways to help brands and advertisers connect audiences to their passions, and this campaign is a great example of employing creative and simple solutions, backed by their unified ad tech stack and ad solutions, to meet audacious ambitions and unlock the full value of marketing at scale.

“As a key destination for news, finance, sports, and lifestyle content, we look forward to giving consumers more of what they want and helping brands drive meaningful connections,” said Tay.

Meanwhile, Maneesh Varma, VP of marketing at StarHub, commented that they are eager for as many football fans to enjoy this enriched viewing experience, at a fraction of the price the Premier League was offered in prior seasons. 

“To that end, we struck up a partnership with Yahoo, tapping on their strong editorial lineup of Premier League-related content alongside branded content pieces that will reach our ideal target audience through their engaged sports readership,” said Varma.

The campaign will also be promoted through Yahoo Native ads and across Yahoo’s owned social media channels.

Singapore – Edelman has announced key leadership changes in its Singapore team. It is led by the newly-appointed chief executive officer Julia Wei, followed by Yeelim Lee promoted as chief operating officer. Other leadership appointments include Nisha Sivanandan as head of strategy and integrated client leadership, Jonathan Ha as head of digital and integrated solutions, Amanda Lam as director of human resources, and Xi Ling Lee as finance director.

Wei will report to Adrian Warr, CEO for Southeast Asia at Edelman, and will build on the agency’s growth and innovation in earned-centric, integrated campaigns.

She leaves her role as managing partner at AKA Asia to return to Edelman where she previously spent a decade honing her capabilities. She now brings over 17 years of diverse expertise in integrated communications, both in-house and agency, to drive growth through modern communication approaches. 

Meanwhile, Lee has spent eight years with the firm, across Hong Kong and Singapore, and has held positions that built experience in regional client management, data and analytics, sector and practice leadership, and new business operations.

Speaking on her appointment, Wei said, “Edelman has always held a special place in my heart and the opportunity to return in a leadership role at a pivotal point of the agency was a no-brainer. I’m looking forward to working with my new, and former, colleagues and collectively elevating our work, our skills and of course continuing on our business success.”

Meanwhile, Warr commented, “I could not be more pleased to see Julia return to the fold. Having achieved several years of fast growth and bold innovation, in spite of significant market headwinds, we now have a unique window of opportunity to evolve our culture, capabilities, and our services to clients – there’s nobody better than Julia to lead that charge.” 

He added, “Julia’s going to have three clear priorities – firstly, maintaining the best agency culture in the market, secondly getting A-list fame for the amazing work we do with our client, and thirdly creating new ways of working in this fascinating hybrid world. Julia and Yeelim have very complimentary skillsets and experience –together, they will lead the team to new frontiers.”

Singapore – M1 Limited (M1), one of Singapore’s leading Mobile Network Operators (MNO), has announced today that it is launching Zolaz, a cloud gaming subscription service that allows customers to play anywhere, anytime and on any device.

Zolaz caters to both mid-core and casual gamers with an ‘all-you-can-play’ on-demand gaming experience. Subscribers will be gaining unlimited access to over 400 high-quality PC and console titles including those by AAA publishers. Similar to Netflix and Spotify’s click-and-play model, games are streamed directly to users’ preferred devices without the need to wait for download and installation. A single account can be shared with up to four other profiles

Games in the catalogue include the BAFTA Games Award nominated first-person shooter, Metro Exodus, action RPG co-op from the Warhammer world, Warhammer: Chaosbane, as well as popular party game, Overcooked. Individual high scores and game history can also be stored directly on the cloud, freeing up device data storage.

“Cloud gaming has always been a possibility but its potential has so far depended on network speeds, data tariff, and latency. M1’s True 5G network resolves this with its high speed and low latency so that graphically intensive games can now be seamlessly played on-the-go and without need for expensive hardware,” said Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1. 

“M1 is on track to [roll out] nationwide 5G outdoor coverage by the end of this year. Zolaz is part of our 5G ambitions to develop and launch 5G commercial use cases across consumer, enterprise and government sectors,” Singh Mann added.

M1 customers can sign up for Zolaz online and in ‘My M1’ App. The cloud gaming subscription is priced at SGD14.98 per month with no contract. Customers who sign up now are also offered a one-month free subscription. 

The public will be able to experience Zolaz at M1’s flagship store at Peranakan Place from 2nd September. To celebrate the launch of the platform, M1 customers are invited to participate in their gaming tournament, Zolaz Battle Unlimited. Players must choose between Asphalt 9 or Chicken Invaders 4 to compete and submit their top scores by September 4th. 

The top four scorers of each game will be invited to compete against each other on 10 September. After pitting against each other in the semi-finals, the top scorer of each game will compete against TikTok Creators Alona (@pinoybrownie) and Denise (@denisealexis) from Hepmil Creators’ Network. The winner of each game in the grand final will take home the grand prize of a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 5G worth SGD2,398.

Singapore – Trust Bank, a new digital bank backed by Standard Chartered, NTUC Enterprise and FairPrice Group, has officially launched in Singapore. Trust Bank is the first of the nation’s new wave of digital banks and launches with a range of products for its customers, comprising a credit card, savings account and family personal accident insurance.

Trust Bank brings together reliable banking foundations with an extensive consumer ecosystem that delivers more than 1 million customer experiences nationwide each day. These organisations have more than 200 years of combined experience of serving the community in Singapore.

In addition, TrustBank is integrated into the FairPrice Group ecosystem and brings best-in-market rewards of up to 21% as a promotional launch rate on everyday spending at the FairPrice Group’s touchpoints across NTUC FairPrice, Kopitiam, Cheers and Unity. 

“Trust has been built specifically for Singapore based on the extensive feedback received during its user testing period. This customer-centric approach is at the heart of Trust’s culture and is enabled by the use of best-in-class technology to create a great user experience. Today’s launch is the starting point for Trust and customers can expect further products and features to be developed based on their feedback,” the bank stated in a press statement.

Dwaipayan Sadhu, chief executive officer of Trust, said, “We are hugely excited to launch Trust in Singapore and delighted to introduce a breakthrough client experience enabled by our best-in-class technology platform. Through listening to our customers and by leveraging the strengths of our partners, we are committed to bringing real tangible value to our customers in Singapore through accessibility and convenience, and making Trust a part of their everyday lives.”

Trust offers a differentiated customer experience, designed to make things easy and delightful. Customers with Singpass accounts are able to sign up for a Trust account in a matter of minutes and use their digital card immediately to generate significant savings. The Trust app also offers enhanced accessibility, with customers able to switch between English and Mandarin language based on their preference.

Judy Hsu, chief executive officer of consumer, private and business banking at Standard Chartered, shared, “Standard Chartered has been serving clients in Singapore for more than 160 years, and the launch of Trust further extends our commitment to continuously invest in innovative ways to serve the communities in Singapore. Backed by Standard Chartered’s track record in building successful digital banks globally and our partner FairPrice Group’s strong brand and extensive ecosystem, Trust offers at launch a well-rounded suite of savings, credit and protection solutions coupled with rewarding lifestyle offers and benefits. By integrating Trust’s digital-first services seamlessly into customers’ everyday lives, Trust is making banking accessible, secured and effortless for everyone.”

Lastly, Kee Teck Koon, chairman of FairPrice Group, also shared, “Trust’s digital banking solutions will complement FairPrice Group’s omni-channel offerings to meet the needs of our customers better. Trust’s credit card and savings account will empower our customers to enjoy savings from groceries to food and everyday spend via seamless integration with FairPrice Group’s Link Rewards programme, while benefiting NTUC union members with an easier way to earn higher Linkpoint rebates and savings account interest. Together with the trusted partnership of Standard Chartered, we are confident that the synergies created through our combined strengths and heritage will make Trust’s banking solutions convenient and accessible for all.”

Singapore – Digital media platform in SEA, RICE Media, has partnered with Falcon Media, an Out-Of-Home (OOH) media company specialising in large format outdoor advertising billboards across Singapore, with the aim to display its impactful storytelling and insightful journalism in a much wider reach across Singapore. 

Through the partnership, RICE Media will be showcasing its video content on multiple digital screens outdoors, including Fortune Centre, Wilkie Edge, and Sim Lim Tower, as well as KINEX. It will be rotating its slate of video content on Falcon Media’s digital billboards for a period of one year. The campaign kicks off with a story about Ammar, a Singaporean dancer, filmmaker, and actor, whose deafness never got in the way of his dreams. 

Moreover, the partnership provides opportunities for the Singaporean publication to establish its commitment to telling stories, perspectives and insights from across SEA. It is also Falcon Media’s first-ever partnership with a publication. 

Khai Asyraf, RICE Media’s managing director, initiated the collaboration to offer RICE’s partners a 360-marketing solution by utilising multiple channels and touchpoints beyond the online realm. He noted that in this ever-changing digital era, strategic partnerships are essential for media companies to attain sustainable growth. 

“With this partnership in place, RICE wants to uphold our brand credibility while maintaining our edge and competitiveness in the media market. Falcon Media has enabled and accelerated this mission as we pursue audience growth and expansion across Southeast Asia,” said Asyraf. 

Meanwhile, Bernice Heng, Falcon Media’s managing director, commented that she is excited to kick off the partnership after finding immense synergy and potential in working with RICE.

“With RICE Media’s content creation offerings and digital media advertising options, they are an excellent fit for us to delve into the online realm. This partnership offers our clients the ability to reach out to their audience outdoors on both a macro and personal level,” said Heng.

In July 2022, RICE Media, has announced two leadership promotions, which include Asyraf, former client services director, being its new managing director, and Ilyas Sholihyn, former branded content strategist, being its new editor-in-chief.

Singapore – Full-service global communications agency Redhill has acquired Singapore-based sustainability-focused storytelling company VS Story to further strengthen its sustainability offerings to meet its clients’ rising needs. 

Through the acquisition, VS Story will be extending Redhill’s sustainability arm providing creative visual storytelling solutions centred around social impact and sustainability for the agency and its clients.

Founded in 2016, VS Story champions the global movement toward an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. It has demonstrated a track record in delivering high visibility to important social and environmental issues through impactful visual storytelling.

Moreover, VS Story’s portfolio includes storyboarding, filming, photography, and post-production of various projects such as authentic documentaries, staff engagement videos, visual graphics and animation, infographics, and aerial videography, amongst others. It boasts a partner portfolio that includes Essilor Luxottica, Danone, PayPal, and MAS Holdings, as well as Winnow Solutions, and Linkedin, amongst others.

Jacob Puthenparambil, CEO of Redhill, commented that Redhill puts sustainability at the core of their business strategy, and they are delighted to have VS Story join their team, as it has an outstanding track record of producing sustainability-led visionary impactful initiatives.

“I am confident that together we’re in a stronger position to help our clients develop creative communications strategies that deliver on their commitments to their stakeholders,” said Puthenparambil.

Meanwhile, Jacqui Hocking, CEO of VS Story, shared that they are incredibly excited to work closely with Redhill to realise their joint passion for creating genuine systemic impact, and she is looking forward to working with their clients together on creating visionary and purpose-driven narratives and initiatives that affect change and impact lives. 

“Through our collaboration, we reaffirm our commitment towards making Singapore a global centre for the circular economy, AgriTech, and sustainable finance,” said Hocking.

The acquisition signifies Redhill’s steadfast commitment to sustainability following the recent appointment of Marta Bigio, senior director of sustainability, earlier this year. It also marks the agency’s second acquisition, after acquiring Hong Kong-based Creative Consulting Group (CCG) in early 2022 as part of its continued global expansion.

Most recently, Redhill has also appointed Do Sik (DS) Kim, former senior writer at Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), to be its new chief operating officer for its Korea operation. He will be focusing on driving local expertise and cross-market collaboration to orchestrate broader capabilities for clients and accelerate business growth — with a sharp focus on the domestic market’s thriving start-up and tech investment ecosystem.

Singapore – Companies in Singapore are the most likely in the Asia-Pacific region to use data analytics and visualisation, with about 83% of Singapore companies reporting having a digital transformation strategy. This is according to the latest data from CPA Australia.

About one-third of respondents said their organisation will start or continue implementing a digital transformation or technology strategy in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, About two-thirds of Singapore respondents said their business worked with technology companies or vendors in the past year to supplement their technology needs.

In addition, Singapore-based businesses are already the top users of robotic process automation (RPA) in the region, with 57% of local respondents saying their company deployed RPA as a business tool.

However, the survey reveals many companies need external support to overcome barriers to digital transformation. High financial costs and a low return on investment were a challenge for 37% of respondents while 35% pointed to a shortage of technology talent

CPA Australia Singapore Divisional President Max Loh said the take-up of technology by businesses in Singapore would pay dividends.

“New technologies enhance organisational efficiencies by automating many mundane as well as high volume tasks. This allows employees to focus on work that needs strategic thinking, such as customer engagement or creating more value for organisations and stakeholders,” he said.

Loh added, “Technology will play a pivotal role in an evolving future workplace. It’s critical for companies to invest in and fully embrace advanced technologies to maintain their advantage in a globally competitive marketplace.”

Singapore – UOB has recently launched its UOB SME app, an all-in-one digital banking platform that aims to meet the financial needs and business requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The UOB SME app offers SMEs a suite of solutions that address financing and other business needs, both on desktop and via the mobile app. Through the platform, SME customers will also be able to view their cash flow data with an interactive dashboard, apply for loans, and set personalised foreign currency watchlists with instant alerts. Furthermore, users will be able to access customised insights as well as find events relevant to their industries.

UOB SME’s features have been developed based on the insights from the ‘ASEAN SME Transformation Study 2022’ by UOB, Accenture, and Dun & Bradstreet. The study showed that 66 per cent of SMEs are keen to invest more in technology, especially in the areas of digital marketing, customer management, sales, network management and operational processes. With the app, SMEs will be able to access digital solutions, such as accounting and invoicing, human resources and e-commerce, seamlessly. They will be able to automate and streamline their processes to increase productivity and efficiency.

Lawrence Loh, head of group business banking at UOB, said, “The launch of the UOB SME app marks a new self-service digital banking experience for SMEs. Building off customer insights, it is designed to combine banking solutions, analytics, and business insights in a single platform. It will provide SMEs greater convenience, a real-time view, and better financial control. SMEs can now stay on top of their business, and focus on their strategies for growth.”

UOB said the launch of UOB SME is part of its continual efforts to help businesses transform digitally. The Bank launched UOB Infinity in 2020 to help larger corporate clients with their digital banking needs. The UOB SME app shares the same banking and transactional capabilities as UOB Infinity, but also provides features that are tailored to SMEs’ different needs such as the business management solutions and interactive dashboard.

Singapore – The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Bank Indonesia (BI) have announced plans to commence work on cross-border QR payment linkage between Indonesia and Singapore as part of the ASEAN-wide payments connectivity effort. The linkage is targeted to be launched in the second half of 2023.

The linkage allows users to make instant, secure, and efficient retail payments by scanning the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) or NETS QR codes displayed by merchants.

In addition, the payment connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore will empower individuals and businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to conduct their cross-border trade, e-commerce, and financial activities efficiently.

BI and MAS also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today to promote the use of local currencies in bilateral transactions such as trade and direct investments. This is in line with ASEAN financial integration efforts to facilitate the wider use of local currencies in intra-ASEAN trade and investment settlement. This can help businesses reduce their exposure to exchange rate risks and costs of conducting bilateral transactions.

Ravi Menon, managing director of MAS, said, “The QRIS-NETS QR code payments connectivity is a milestone in ASEAN’s goal to establish regional payments integration by 2025 and support the vibrant cross-border trade corridors within the region. This linkage also aligns with the G20’s efforts to address existing frictions in global cross-border payments and support post-pandemic economic recovery and growth.” 

He added, “The MOU to promote the use of local currencies for bilateral transactions complements the QRIS-NETS QR code payments connectivity as it will further facilitate the settlement of bilateral transactions between Singapore and Indonesia in their respective local currencies.”

Meanwhile, Perry Warjiyo, governor of BI, said on this occasion, “During Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022 and ASEAN Central Bank Governors’ Meeting in April 2022, payment digitalisation and cross-border payments have become a priority agenda. This initiative links cross-border payments through the interconnection of national QR codes of payment between two countries, represents another milestone of the Indonesian Payment System Blueprint 2025, and also integrates with the framework to promote the use of local currencies.” 

He added, “It provides more options for users in cross-border payment transactions and serves as a key to improving transaction efficiency, promoting digital economic and financial inclusion, and strengthening macroeconomic stability by promoting more extensive use of local currencies for bilateral transactions. Bank Indonesia believes that the initiatives mark a key milestone in strengthening bilateral financial cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia.” 

Singapore – Global financial superapp Revolut has appointed Raymond Ng, chief commercial officer at Liquid Group, to be its new CEO for Singapore. This follows Revolut’s recent launch of its crypto products in Singapore.

In his new role, Ng will be focusing on leading and building the next chapter of Revolut’s expansion in Singapore, developing and implementing the local business strategy. 

During his previous stint at Liquid Group, Ng managed product and business development and global expansion. He also held senior executive roles with large global corporations such as Microsoft, Visa, and MasterCard, as well as with tech startups.

Revolut said it is committed to establishing Singapore as one of the cornerstones of its global business and plans to establish several global product hubs.

Commenting on his appointment, Ng said, “I’m thrilled to lead the exceptionally talented team and bring Revolut’s super app offering to Singapore as we continue to develop the best financial solutions for millions in Singapore, especially those who are looking for hassle-free digital alternatives to get more from their money.”

Meanwhile, Nik Storonsky, CEO and founder of Revolut, noted, “With a wealth of experience in the mobile, payment and travel tech sectors and an outstanding track record in scaling the business across new markets in the APAC region, Raymond is an excellent fit for the role and his appointment is a major achievement in our continued mission to become the world’s first truly global financial superapp.” 

In April 2022, Revolut has appointed Charles Debonneuil as APAC general manager as it continues to focus on growth in the APAC region. Debonneuil will focus on building out Revolut’s local Growth teams and developing the business’ growth strategy, driving rapid new user acquisition in the APAC region.