A smart social media marketing strategy can be very effective when it comes to improving your brand’s online visibility. While there are different social media platforms, Instagram is one of the most powerful tools that can contribute to the success of your business. The success of this marketing method largely depends on the number and quality of followers you have. However, finding Instagram followers is a challenge for many individuals and businesses. With more than two billion Instagram users, getting recognition on this platform can be tricky, but the good news is that it is possible when you choose the…
Author: Paul McKinsley
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Global management consultancy firm Bain & Company announced its intent to acquire the Asia Pacific division of Rainmaking, a global venture-building and start-up development studio. The acquisition, expected to close by the end of July 2023, is contingent on several preconditions. The proposed deal with Rainmaking APAC, comprising 50 entrepreneurial talents spread across key markets in Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, is aimed to bolster and accelerate Bain’s NextSM business-building offering. This offering is delivered by an extensive team of over 200 entrepreneurs, strategists, designers, data scientists, and engineers in the Asia Pacific. Satish Shankar, Bain’s Asia Pacific regional managing…
Tim Hortons®, the iconic Canadian coffee brand, continues to expand its international presence, launching two new outlets in Mumbai’s vibrant neighborhoods of Bandra West and Andheri Lokhandwala, BusinessNewsCanada reported. Known for its 100% premium Arabica coffee, the brand promises to bring its beloved beverages, food, and baked goods to the city’s discerning coffee lovers. The Bandra West store opens today, with the Andheri Lokhandwala branch following suit tomorrow. The menu not only boasts signature offerings like French Vanilla and Iced Capp™ blended frozen coffee, but also showcases local flavours through items such as Baida Roti Cigar Rolls and Pinwheel Samosas.…
Frasers Hospitality, a key unit of Frasers Property, has announced the formation of two joint ventures with Tishman Speyer and Alyssa Partners in China and Japan, respectively. This move includes the acquisition of premium rental apartment assets in Shenzhen and Osaka for a combined asset value of approximately S$170 million. The long-stay lodging sector in North Asia has shown consistent growth and resilience, spurred by demographic, economic, and social changes due to urban migration. Housing affordability, an issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to heightened demand for rental apartments. The new assets will strengthen Frasers Hospitality’s existing portfolio…
Global logistics giant, J&T Express, today announced a Share Transfer Agreement with Shenzhen Fengwang Holdings Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of S.F. Holding Co., Ltd. J&T Express’ subsidiary, J&T Express (Shenzhen) Supply Chain Co., Ltd., will acquire 100% share rights of Shenzhen Fengwang Information Technology Co., Ltd. for RMB 1.183 billion ($170 million), making it a wholly-owned subsidiary. This move comes as part of J&T’s aggressive expansion in China’s e-commerce express delivery sector. The transaction, however, is contingent on several conditions, including approval by the State Administration for Market Regulation and timely settlement of the transaction consideration as per the agreement.…
The US Food and Drug Administration has given its approval for Narcan, a 4 milligram naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, for over-the-counter use without a prescription. Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication and is a standard treatment for opioid overdose. Narcan’s approval paves the way for the life-saving medication to be sold directly to consumers in drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, and gas stations as well as online. The drug’s manufacturer will determine the timeline for availability and price of the OTC product. Narcan nasal spray was originally approved as a prescription drug in 2015. The manufacturer provided data…
EQT Growth, a fund specializing in technology investments, has announced a EUR 100 million investment in IntegrityNext, a Munich-based sustainability software platform. IntegrityNext is focused on providing a cloud-based platform that allows businesses to assess risk and monitor a large portion of their supply chain for ESG metrics and compliance. The company serves more than 200 customers and monitors almost one million suppliers, making it one of the leading environmental, social, and governance (ESG) certification software solutions in Europe. The company’s platform is used by major corporations such as Siemens Gamesa, Infineon, SwissRe, Kion, and Hilti. With this investment, EQT…
The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote economic development in Indonesia. The MoU aims to identify investment opportunities throughout Indonesia that align with their respective investment mandates, which can potentially have a strategic and developmental impact. This MoU signifies a deepening economic relationship between Indonesia and the United States. The DFC has a track record of mobilizing private sector investments to address development challenges, with exposure of more than $35 billion, helping to promote economic growth and regional stability in developing countries globally. The INA’s…
On Friday, an official report estimated that the dual earthquakes which struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6 resulted in a cost of around 2 trillion Turkish liras (approximately USD 105.2 billion) for the country. The Treasury and Finance Ministry of Türkiye declared the report, which was prepared by the presidency’s department of strategy and budget, and anticipated that the financial burden caused by the tragic tremors could amount to almost 9 percent of the national income in 2023. The research observed that the support expenses to the earthquake area cost a total of 351 billion liras (approximately USD 18.5 billion)…
Pfizer’s 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20), marketed under the brand name APEXXNAR, has been approved by the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to protect against invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia caused by 20 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes. This vaccine is for individuals aged 18 years and older, demonstrating Pfizer’s commitment to prevent potentially-serious respiratory diseases. The approval of APEXXNAR in Singapore, the first in Southeast Asia, highlights Pfizer’s two-decade experience in developing and providing innovative pneumococcal conjugate vaccines that significantly impact the global disease burden. This approval also aligns with Singapore’s Healthier SG initiative, which focuses on improving population health and…
Living in a big city comes with a price tag, and some cities are more expensive than others. BusinessNewsAsia.com ranks the most expensive cities in the world to live in based on factors such as housing, transportation, food, and entertainment. Singapore: Singapore has been ranked as the most expensive city in the world for several years. This is due to the high cost of housing, transportation, and food. Despite the high costs, Singapore is known for its quality of life, cleanliness, and safety. Hong Kong: Hong Kong is known for its high rents and the cost of living in general.…
The Gobi-Core Philippine Fund (Gobi-Core) has been officially accredited as a Co-Investment Partner (CIP) of the Philippine government’s Startup Venture Fund (SVF), one of the first since the fund’s inception in 2021. Per the Innovative Startup Act (RA 11337), the Startup Venture Fund (SVF) shall be used to match investments by selected investors in startups of varying stages based in the Philippines. The SVF – a joint effort by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Development Company (NDC) – currently has an allocation of US$10 Million (PHP500 Million). Through this role, Gobi-Core, a joint-venture partnership co-managed by…
Percentage Allocation Management Module brokers, also known as PAMM forex brokers, enable investors to entrust their funds to a third-party money manager. Traders can make money with little to no effort by fully automating the trading process using this method. This article offers a discussion of the leading PAMM account forex brokers, examining several sites where traders can earn passive income and concluding with a brief, easy-to-follow tutorial on how to open an account with a PAMM forex broker right now. The Best PAMM Account Forex Brokers in 2023 Trading newcomers and veterans alike can profit from PAMM accounts because…
banco (RABC Group), a Singapore-headquartered financial technology (fintech) startup, announced raising $6.7 million in a Series A funding round led by Japan-based leading financial group SBI Group, alongside investors Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), R3, Savills, KZM & Company, and others. With the fresh funding, banco said it will continue recruiting talents with technology and business development expertise, as well as, market expansion within the Southeast Asia region. Founded in 2018, banco (RABC Group) is headquartered in Singapore with subsidiaries in China and Japan. The banco platform leverages the digital capabilities of the RABC group’s expertise in Micro, Small and…
Plasma cutting is a creative and effective way to cut through sheet metal. The technology involves plasma which burns through the metal and cuts sheets with precision and speed. That’s why the popularity and implementation of plasma cutting are growing. The technology has been around for decades and is now widely used in industries. What’s interesting is that the global plasma cutting machine market is expanding at a CAGR of 7.3%. So, if you are thinking about buying a plasma cutting table, you are making the right choice. To make things easy for you, we have written a short guide…
Coins.ph, the Philippines’ leading fiat and crypto wallet services provider and Joffre Capital portfolio company, raised $30 million in Series C financing led by Ribbit Capital, and joined by other strategic investors, according to a PhilippinesToday.ph report. The new capital will be used to further expand its Web3 ecosystem and presence throughout Southeast Asia. Coins.ph is Southeast Asia’s leading mainstream super app that boasts over 16 million users with licensed fiat and crypto wallet and exchange services including cryptocurrencies, e-wallet, and payments. The Company is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and is the first-ever blockchain-based company in…
Cainiao Network, (“Cainiao”), the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, announced today its partnership with Grocery Logistics of Singapore (“GLS”), an entity of FairPrice Group Supply Chain business unit, with the aim of strengthening its logistics services in the market. This partnership entails a two-phase roll-out, namely providing a full-suite local logistics service from customs clearance to last-mile delivery for orders placed on Taobao and Tmall including bulky items, and expanding beyond the Alibaba e-commerce ecosystem to support more merchants in their cross-border logistics needs. Under the partnership, Cainiao will be leveraging GLS’s strong logistics capabilities and resources, including customs fulfillment…
DHL Supply Chain, the world’s leading contract logistics provider and a business division under Deutsche Post DHL Group, has appointed Noel Singgih as its Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Michael Lai as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Asia Pacific. Both Singgih and Lai are industry veterans who have proven track records in their respective areas of expertise and were instrumental in the success of many key initiatives implemented in the organization. They take over from Steve Walker, who has recently been appointed Chief Executive Officer for the division’s regional cluster which includes Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. Walker, Singgih and…
Zini.ai, an AI-powered multilingual virtual physician, a flagship product by Grainpad Pvt Ltd, was selected for the Startup Punjab seed grant award. Zini.ai was shortlisted from a cohort of 15 startups that were further shortlisted from more than 150 companies from across the country. The startups selected for the grant will have access to mentors, networking opportunities, interactions with Invest Punjab and other stakeholders. The selected startups were reviewed by prominent institutions like Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, an autonomous research institute of Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. Zini.ai is India’s first AI-powered voice based virtual physician…
Globe Telecom invested a record level of capital expenditure of ₱43.3 billion in the first half of 2021 to improve its network infrastructure and internet connectivity, beating last year’s spending by 107%. This capex investment represents 57% of gross service revenues and 116% of EBITDA. Majority or about 88% of the capex spending went to data network builds to address and elevate customer experience in this challenging time. Globe’s aggressive network expansion and network modernization from 3G to 4G LTE/5G as well as fiber technology available to more customers nationwide, is part of its strategy to make high-speed connectivity accessible…