Tag: Standard Chartered

Singapore – PUMA Southeast Asia has tapped GOVT as its creative and activation agency to bring its bring PUMA NITRO™ Technology to runners at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2023. 

Through the mandate, GOVT will provide end-to-end brand, creative and activation solutions for PUMA to deliver a consumer experience to engage with the estimated 50,000 runners who will show up between 30 November to 2 December 2023 to collect their race packs.

Eleanor Wang, head of marketing at PUMA Southeast Asia, said, “Running has always been at the heart of PUMA’s brand ethos of being forever faster, and PUMA NITRO ™ Technology is the exemplification of our brand’s commitment to innovate a product that makes running even more effortless.”

She added, “And for our second year as the Official Apparel and Footwear Sponsor at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, we are happy to be able to partner with one of Singapore’s leading independent agencies to bring this value to the running community.”

Meanwhile, Alvina Seah, managing director at GOVT, commented, “This collaboration is meaningful because we are working with a brand that wants to make an impact to the category, set on an iconic running platform like the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. So we are certainly looking forward to the work we will be creating together.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Chayenne Tan has announced that she is joining financial services company Standard Chartered as its head of consumer, private, and business banking–according to her LinkedIn profile.

She was previously with CIMB, where she was the head of sustainable finance for consumer banking. She also previously held other marketing roles in CIMB, including director of performance marketing and director of consumer marketing, among others.

Some of her work in CIMB revolved around growth marketing, integrated marketing, remarketing, martech, performance marketing, and brand management. 

Prior to joining CIMB, she was also the head of strategic planning and integrated marketing at marketing agency ROOTS Asia Pacific, where she worked with clients such as Adidas, Unilever, HTC, and Goodyear, amongst others.

In addition, she’s held other marketing and communications-related roles at companies Deloitte, Hong Leong Bank, and Siemens.
Standard Chartered recently teamed up with NTUC in Singapore and Bukalapak in Indonesia to launch respective new digital banking services in each market.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Global financial services Standard Chartered and Indonesian e-commerce company Bukalapak have announced the launch of a new digital banking service in Indonesia named BukaTabungan. The new digital banking service aims to serve the underbanked segment in Indonesia.

BukaTabungan, which is offered on the Bukalapak platform, will offer services inclusive, easy, and secure banking for the Bukalapak ecosystem which consists of more than 110 million users and 20 million registered businesses. This service also supports completely digital, face-to-face registration.

Through offering its banking access, BukaTabungan also aims to support business continuity and development of micro-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that constitutes 97% of the Indonesian workforce, where many of them do not have access to formal financing services and are still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.

In addition, the collaboration between Bukalapak and Standard Chartered is strengthened by the strong commitments between said parties to a common vision to bridge the financial inclusion gap and promote sustainable impact in developing regions in the country.

Victor Lesmana, president of commerce and fintech at Bukalapak, said, “We are very enthusiastic about this partnership because it supports our mission of supporting the growth of MSMEs in Indonesia and continuing to expand financial inclusion across the country. We convey our greatest appreciation to Standard Chartered for their trust and passion for this collaboration.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Chia, cluster CEO of Indonesia and ASEAN markets at Standard Chartered, “We are proud to partner with Bukalapak to present BukaTabungan as one of the first digital banking services in Indonesia, which combines Bukalapak’s e-commerce ecosystem with the e-commerce banking expertise from Standard Chartered.”

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 – Global financial services company Standard Chartered has awarded to Publicis Groupe its global creative mandate, ending TBWA\’s 18-year streak of handling said account.

The global account will be led out of the Singapore office. Through the win, Publicis Groupe will be working on Standard Chartered’s wide-ranging communications mandate covering creative, digital and production services.

Claire Dixon, group head of corporate affairs, brand and marketing at Standard Chartered, said, “Following a rigorous pitch process, we have made the decision to award the mandate to Publicis Groupe. We are confident that they will be the right partner to take our narrative to the next level, by pushing our creative and digital boundaries.”

She also added, “We are thankful to TBWA\ for their support during the past 18 years to bring Standard Chartered’s brand to where it is today.”

Meanwhile, Amrita Randhawa, CEO for Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia, commented, “It’s refreshing to be given the opportunity to work with a brand with such a purposeful belief, which was so clearly reflected in all the people that we met through this process.” 

She added, “It’s a privilege to be shaping a global brand of this stature and ambition out of Singapore and I could not be prouder of the team behind this win – they are absolute champions. We look forward to bringing the best of Publicis Groupe to bear on the business.”

The recent win comes after Publicis Groupe’s consolidation of the Singapore Tourism Board business in January 2022, and its spate of wins this year that includes Singtel in Singapore, L’Oréal in Southeast Asia and PepsiCo in APAC.

Hong Kong – Banking institution Standard Chartered in Hong Kong has partnered with The Sandbox, a decentralised gaming virtual world, to create innovative experiences for its clients and community.

Standard Chartered Hong Kong deems to be the first bank to acquire virtual land at The Sandbox metaverse’s Mega City district, a culture hub based on or inspired by the country’s talents. Led by SC Ventures, an innovation, fintech investment and ventures arm under Standard Chartered Group, Standard Chartered Hong Kong will be actively engaging its clients, partners, staff, and the tech community, to explore co-creation opportunities in this new and exciting space, with the goal of experimenting and building new experiences for clients, as well as bringing the local sports and art communities into the metaverse.

Mary Huen, Standard Chartered’s chief executive for Hong Kong, noted that their involvement in the metaverse allows them to reimagine their relationship with existing and potential clients on this new platform and their approach to enhancing client journeys. 

“Having acquired virtual land in Mega City, a natural choice for the Bank given its distinctive Hong Kong theme perfectly fits with our promise of strengthening our continued presence in Hong Kong, whether physical or virtual,” said Huen.

Meanwhile, Alex Manson, Standard Chartered’s head of SC Ventures, said that for the past few years, they have been building business models in crypto and digital assets, and see the rise of the metaverse as a critical milestone in the Web 3.0 evolution. 

“We are excited for this opportunity to explore and innovate in partnership with The Sandbox, but also with our clients and partners who will play a crucial role in how this space develops,” added Manson.

The bank said that its SC Ventures has been investing in disruptive financial technology and exploring alternative business models, and the innovation arm will continue to drive Standard Chartered Hong Kong’s entrance into the metaverse and exploration of future Web 3.0 opportunities.

Singapore – Global banking institution Standard Chartered has released a new ‘colorful’ ad that aims to reiterate the danger of carbon emission to the environment and the bank’s commitment to helping to achieve the net-zero goal by 2050. 

The bank recently announced its new net-zero approach which aims to mobilize US$300b in green and transition financing in helping clients reach net-zero targets and to reduce absolute financed thermal coal mining emissions by 85 percent by 2030, among others.

“Carbon – it’s helped build everything we have, but to keep moving forward, we need to leave carbon behind,” said the ad.

Developed together with creative agency TBWA\Singapore, the ad rightly focuses on the imagery of carbon, where ‘carbon’ is the ‘star’ from start to finish. From a massive cloud of black carbon enveloping the community, it is eventually met with carbon in Standard Chartered’s bright brand colors of blue and green symbolizing how the bank is stepping in to help impede the growing environmental hazard.

TBWA\Singapore said that with the ad, which used an underwater technique to deliver the stunning imagery of smoke, they aimed to move beyond the clichéd visuals typically associated with sustainability communications.

“While the conversations around sustainability and carbon transition have been re-energized in recent months, the depiction of these initiatives in mainstream advertising is anything but fresh,” said Asheen Naidu, global creative director at TBWA\Singapore.

Naidu adds, “To disrupt the sea of sameness and really get our message noticed, we opted for a more artistic approach – partnering with the brilliant Eben Mears of Psyop, to tell the story of a world under threat and visualizing how Standard Chartered is working to minimize and ultimately remove that threat.”

The ad was produced by production studio Psyop. According to the campaign’s team, they used a unique production technique involving jets of food colorant in a water tank, creating the illusion of smoke engulfing a city and its residents. As the black clouds billow through the 3D-printed underwater model, two more jets of colorant are then introduced – this time Standard Chartered’s signature blue and green brand colors.

The StanChart team further shared that the film was developed without CGI and shot using a high-speed robotic motion control system, allowing the camera to move through the model city at precise angles and speeds. The jets were also carefully controlled to create sharp, vivid footage of the food colorant flowing through water at varying pressures and speed in the aim to create a captivating film that artistically showcases the role of the bank in transitioning to a carbon-free future.

Emma Sheller, global head of brand and marketing at Standard Chartered, commented, “Coinciding with the recent announcement of Standard Chartered’s pathway to Net-Zero, the new campaign leverages the power of creativity to portray our commitments to tackling climate change and helping countries and businesses accelerate their transition to carbon neutrality.”

According to the team, to stay true to the theme of the campaign, the film production had an exceptionally low carbon footprint, and the entire shoot was conducted remotely with the agency in Singapore, director in New York, and production team in Germany.

Singapore – Global media and digital marketing communications network dentsu International has retained the global media remit for financial services company Standard Chartered, extended for five more years following a competitive pitch. Said assignment covers Standard Chartered’s global markets across media planning, strategy and buying.

For Emma Sheller, global head of brand strategy and consumer for private and business banking marketing at Standard Chartered, dentsu came to the table with a deep knowledge of their business, commitment,s and how they can drive growth from the media with an impressive service model and a team aligned to that value set.

“At Standard Chartered, we are here for good. It’s the motivation of our business, and a principle we clearly share with dentsu in the commitments and progress they’re making to be a force for good. We are committed to reducing carbon emissions, lifting participation and improving lives, and setting a new model of globalization based on transparency, fairness and trust. It is important for us to have a partner with shared values and ambitions who would work with us to achieve our goals,” Sheller stated.

Meanwhile, Prerna Mehrotra, CEO for media at dentsu Asia Pacific and Singapore, commented that they are proud of the work they have delivered with Standard Chartered over the course of their previous four-year long relationship, and are excited for the potential of their next five-year commitment.

“We presented Standard Chartered with a team of brilliant people, who felt passionately about delivering performance with purpose for the Standard Chartered business, which set strong foundations for us to build the next five years on. Our vision for good growth, delivered through our ‘one dentsu’ service model across the diverse markets Standard Chartered operates in, delivered the competitive advantage for the team.” Mehrotra added.

Standard Chartered has tapped dentsu in the past for the adoption of dentsu’s programmatic supply solution as part of Standard Chartered’s global campaign ‘Here for good’.

Just recently, the company has also announced other company endeavors, specifically the launch of its gaming solution for APAC.

Hong Kong – With the pandemic situation in Hong Kong now gradually easing up to open to the local and global economy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong are also slowly opening up, with business confidence rates seeing a steadfast growth among the local SME sector during the third quarter, new data from the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) shows.

According to their latest index alongside Standard Chartered Hong Kong, the SME Overall Index has risen for three consecutive quarters, this time by 4.4 to 46.6, hitting a three-year high since Q3 of 2018.

All five component sub-indices stipulated in the index also rose in Q3, among which the ‘Global Economy’ sub-index recorded the most significant surge again, from 43.6 to 52.8 which made an impressive leap from the low of 7.9 in the same period last year. Together with the ‘Recruitment Sentiment’ sub-index which rose to 50.9, these are the first two sub-indices to surpass the 50 neutral mark in the past two years. Eightof the 11 surveyed industries have recorded two-year highs in their industry indices. 

The sub-indices of ‘Information and Communications’, ‘Real Estate’, and ‘Social and Personal Services’ are the best performing industries, with their respective indices all over 50.

On investment sentiment in the coming quarter, most SMEs are planning to spend more on ‘Information Technology’ and ‘Product & Marketing Promotion’. While 24% of SMEs plan to increase investment in ‘Information Technology’, 20% of local SMEs would like to boost investment in ‘Product & Marketing Promotion’ – both are one-year highs. Meanwhile, 63% of SMEs surveyed expected an upcoming increase of ‘Raw Material Cost’, which is 5% higher than the previous quarter.

For Edmond Lai, chief digital officer at HKPC, the results of the index reflects the stableness of the pandemic situation in Hong Kong during the survey period, and that the SME sector is bound to its ‘steady U-shape rebound with the outlooks of ‘Global Economy’ and ‘Recruitment Sentiment’ being positive’.

He also noted that the survey showed that SMEs are ‘flexing their muscles’ to pick up their business as fast as possible by increasing investment and expanding staff size.

Meanwhile, Kelvin Lau, senior economist for Greater China for global research at Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong, commented that the latest SME Index readings confirm that Hong Kong’s business conditions have not only further improved over the past quarter, but that such positive momentum is also likely to carry over to the start of second half 2021, boding well for more economic recovery ahead. 

He also added that the are seeing confirmation as well of such recovery being broad-based, with all five component sub-indices and eight of the eleven industry sub-indices posting quarter-over-quarter increases. All this, however, is still not enough to push the overall SME Index back above the 50 neutral mark for now, meaning that SMEs are generally still operating below normal levels.

“Looking at the breakdown, the improvement in ‘Global Economy’ sub-index remains the biggest driver of positive sentiment this time, while ‘Recruitment Sentiment’ sub-index also returned above 50 for the first time in two years, boding well for Hong Kong’s unemployment rate to extend its recent nascent downtrend. That said, improving global prospects have not translated into much better confidence among manufacturers, exporters and financial services providers this time; rather, we see prior underperformers such as retailers playing further catchup – probably supported by the continued unwinding of social distancing measures since the first quarter,” Lau explained.

He added, “Our latest survey results also reflect still-high cost pressures, especially those for raw materials; that has in turn pushed prices higher for finished goods and services, confirming that some pass-through of higher costs onto buyers is indeed happening.”

In addition, the survey also explored SME perspectives and planning in response to the economic recovery in 2021. Around 7% of SMEs surveyed said their business fared better than before the pandemic, while 31% of them claimed to be close to returning to the pre-pandemic levels. The business performances of ‘Information and Communications’, ‘Real Estate’ and ‘Financing and Insurance’ industries are the most satisfactory amid the pandemic, with ‘Accommodation and Food Services’ being the most affected – 81% SMEs surveyed reported a setback in business. The most popular actions taken proactively by SMEs to achieve business rebound are ‘Product/Service Improvement’, ‘Market Promotion’, ‘Online Expansion’, ‘Productivity Enhancement’ and ‘Use of Digital Technology’.

Furthermore, the survey found that SMEs are placing high hopes on ‘Global Economic Recovery’, ‘Re-opening of Cross-Boundary Travel with the Mainland’ and ‘Relaxation of Social Distancing Measures; to fully grasp the opportunities from market recovery. Yet they also saw the constraints of a severe worldwide epidemic situation and geopolitical tensions, with 37.3% of SMEs surveyed indicating their intentions to raise prices to cope with inflation and offset cost pressure.

Hong Kong – The pandemic has prompted countries around the world to introduce travel restrictions and containment measures. However, these implementations cannot stop eager travelers to resume planning their travel preparations. 

A new range of credit cards by Standard Chartered, Cathay, and Mastercard has been launched to enable travelers to earn more prestigious privileges and enjoy a higher level of banking and travel experiences offered by the new credit card series.

A multi-platform campaign has been developed by TBWA\Hong Kong in support of the new card series – ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Cards’.

The theme of the campaign centers around ‘Get Ready for New Heights’, the over one-minute ad features famous South Korean actor Song Joong-Ki, and renowned Hong Kong lyricist Wyman Wong. It captures the actor explaining the card series’ many offers and privileges through various ads, encouraging the lyricist to plan his future banking and travel experiences.

The three new cards in the series are ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card’, ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card – Priority Banking’, and ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card – Priority Private’, which recognize different banking segments. The card series replaces the existing ‘Standard Chartered Asia Miles Mastercard Credit Card’.

Cardholders can still earn Asia Miles directly by using banking services only from Standard Chartered, while Priority Banking and Priority Private cardholders can also enjoy complimentary Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge access, priority check-in and boarding services, or limited Marco Polo Club Silver or Gold membership during the promotional period.

“With the pandemic delaying travel plans and creating a growing sense of wanderlust, the campaign invites people to get a head-start on their travel preparations with an elevated card experience to earn miles faster and more easily than ever,” said Terence Ling, the head of strategy at TBWA\Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, TBWA\Hong Kong’s Managing Director Jan Cho commented that they wanted to tap into the booming popularity of K-dramas, and use the allure of Korea as a travel destination.

“However, due to pandemic travel restrictions, overseas filming was no longer possible, and forced us to quickly adapt to a new way of working. I’m very proud of our team, and the production team in Korea, for working remotely and cohesively to bring this campaign to life,” said Cho.

Developed together with media support by Carat Hong Kong and iProspect Hong Kong, the campaign includes TVC, out-of-home, and print, as well as online, and social media.