Monthly Archives: April 2020

PR Newswire

The Red Flag Group’s 2019/20 annual report shows their continued growth in revenue and their commitment to helping companies make better business decisions in critical times

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MADRID, Spain and HONG KONG, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Red Flag Group®, a global leader in providing due diligence reports, data, intelligence and technology solutions, has released its annual report for 2019/20.

As a trusted provider of information, data and intelligence to global companies across a wide range of industries, The Red Flag Group® continued to expand its client base with revenue growth. In spite of a challenging year for the collection and analysis of information in several countries, the firm achieved a 96.7 percent on-time delivery rate of their research reports, allowing their clients to truly assess the health and risks of their potential counterparties. 

The report demonstrates how The Red Flag Group® has committed to helping companies make better decisions when selecting key stakeholders despite the unexpected events of the last year, such as the wildfires in Australia, social situations in Hong Kong, conflicts in the Middle East, volcano eruptions in the Philippines and global meltdown following the COVID-19 outbreak.

“No longer do companies simply sign up a supplier, partner or distributor without a series of deep dives into their operations, structure, risk profile, leadership and financials. Companies are considering these relationships very carefully and assessing them across a variety of risks, from corruption and money laundering through to financial and environmental risks and community engagement. Added to that list in 2019 was the risk of continuity of business,“ said Scott Lane, The Red Flag Group®’s CEO & Chairman.

“The data that allows companies to make a decision on how to proceed is provided by us, and the technology solution and support for risk identification and classification is made by us. Together they allow us to provide a unique offering to those global companies that are aware that they will be judged by the quality of their suppliers and partners in the eyes of the law, the media and society. We are convinced that our success is dependent on effectively managing our technology assets, our data assets and our people,“ affirmed Scott Lane. “We remain committed to developing our product portfolio to support our vision of helping our customers make better decisions when selecting their key stakeholders.“

The annual report includes also a special article underlining the valuable contribution that the female professionals in compliance keep bringing every day to the development of The Red Flag Group®. The firm believes that company boards that embrace gender diversity significantly outperform those that do not, and boasts a workforce of over 47 percent women, who are present on every level and in every department of the firm. 

Read the full Annual Report 2019/20 https://insights.redflaggroup.com/annual-reports/our-annual-report-2019-20

About The Red Flag Group®   

For almost 15 years it has been a main goal of The Red Flag Group® to help companies select the best customers, suppliers and business partners by providing data, intelligence and rating solutions across all industries and countries. With our curated data, intelligence and rating solutions, our clients make Better Decisions™ when selecting companies and people they engage with, allowing them to not only meet their own statutory compliance obligations, but to also drive up standards and improve society’s future outlook. 

We believe that organisations recognise their critical role in ending corruption, money laundering and child and forced labour with a commitment to the highest standards of ethics, compliance and social governance to make a significant contribution in society. For more information, go to http://www.redflaggroup.com.  

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PR Newswire

Euroclear Business and Financial Update – Q1 2020

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BRUSSELS, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ —

  • Q1 20 revenues up 9% year-on-year, to EUR 383 million
    • Business Income rose 15% to EUR 321 million
    • Banking and Other Income decreased 14% to EUR 62 million
  • Operating costs up by 4% to EUR 213 million, in line with expectations
  • Net profit was up 29% to EUR 127 million
  • Dividend approval to be postponed to Q4 2020 in light of recent ECB guidance
  • Liquidity initiative stopped due to current uncertain environment
  • COVID-19 outlook: business income evolution uncertain; interest-related income hit by interest rate cuts

Business update

Global markets are exceptionally volatile as participants attempt to understand the wide-ranging implications of COVID-19. During this time, our key priorities are the welfare and wellbeing of our people, whilst ensuring business resilience in our critical role as financial market infrastructure, and continuing to safeguard both our clients’ and Euroclear’s assets.

In seeking to protect the health and safety of our people, we moved to wholesale homeworking, with nearly all our people working remotely. We have taken several other initiatives to support staff wellbeing during this difficult period.

Our Business Continuity Plan is working well to support our customers’ needs even with the exceptional settlement volumes experienced in the first quarter across the financial markets. Sustained investment over recent years in new technologies, cyber security and optimising our ways of working has helped to minimise operational risk and build a more resilient business, allowing us to support our customers and our people through this difficult time.

The strong performance in business income at the end of 2019 continued into the first months of 2020, before the recent heightened volatility, seen across markets, resulted in much greater activity. As a result, the group delivered exceptionally strong growth in business income during the first quarter, above our long-term, through-the-cycle growth trajectory. This activity has recently begun to normalise, with volumes reverting towards more typical levels. Lower market valuations are expected to impact our revenue performance in certain asset classes, such as equities, balancing the overall full year performance.

Central banks lowered policy rates in response to the economic crisis and that has reduced our interest-related income in the quarter. We expect that an ongoing lower interest rate environment will continue to substantially impact Banking and Other Income over the coming quarters, with a yearly decline of approximately 50% anticipated in 2020, compared to 2019 results.

Capital and dividend

We have a strong balance sheet and capital position. Given our disciplined risk management, limited leverage and prudent liquidity position, the Board remains confident in Euroclear’s financial strength. However, in light of recent guidance from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) regarding dividend distribution policy in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the Board has taken the decision to postpone its approval of the dividend announced in February, until Q4 2020. 

Shareholder liquidity initiative

In December 2019, the Board completed the study phase of the process to find a liquidity solution for the benefit of all of our shareholders. Given the current uncertain environment, the Board has decided to stop all work on a tentative liquidity initiative, and wait until economic activity and market stability has been restored in a sustained way to consider the matter again.

Commenting on the first quarter update, Marc Antoine Autheman, Chairman said:

“The Euroclear group continues to demonstrate exceptional levels of robustness and resilience as we support global financial markets during a period of great strain. On behalf of the Board, I would like to express gratitude to our people from across every entity of the group for how they have responded to the COVID-19 crisis. Thanks to their dedication we have been able to maintain services of the highest quality and security to all clients.”

Lieve Mostrey, Chief Executive Officer, added:

“This year has already proven to be challenging for the financial markets, with recent events demonstrating the need for a strong and adaptable market infrastructure. Our business, people and systems have shown resilience, and their proven robustness, to support the financial market ecosystem in these unprecedented times. Thanks to all our staff’s efforts, we remain focused on delivering for our stakeholders while monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely.

In recognition of the important responsibility we have to society and our local communities, we have made a donation of EUR 1 million to charities that are tackling the COVID-19 crisis. The donation will be allocated to local charitable causes, such as hospitals and vaccination research, in each of the main countries where Euroclear operates.”

Disclaimer

The information, statements and opinions expressed herein (the “Content”) do not constitute and shall not be deemed to constitute: (i) any offer, invitation or inducement to sell a security or engage in investment, financial or other similar activity; or (ii) a solicitation of an offer to buy any security; or (iii) any recommendation or advice in relation to any investment, financial or other decision. Persons considering making any investment or financial decision should contact their qualified financial adviser. The financial information included is unaudited and the Content includes forward looking statements in relation to future events and financial performance which contain inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, no warranty or representation including, but not limited to, accuracy or completeness (express or implied) is made in relation to the Content, including, but not limited to, any statements about the prospects of Euroclear. Euroclear makes no commitment to update the Content and expressly disclaims, to the extent lawful, liability for any errors or omissions in it. The Content is not directed at, or intended for distribution to, or use by any person or entity where such distribution or use is restricted by law or regulation. Persons into whose possession the Content comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions.

Note to editors

Euroclear group is the financial industry’s trusted provider of post trade services. At the core, the group provides settlement, safe-keeping and servicing of domestic and cross-border securities for bonds, equities and derivatives to investment funds. Euroclear is a proven, resilient capital market infrastructure committed to delivering risk-mitigation, automation and efficiency at scale for its global client franchise.

The Euroclear group includes Euroclear Bank – which is rated AA+ by Fitch Ratings and AA by Standard & Poor’s – as well as Euroclear Belgium, Euroclear Finland, Euroclear France, Euroclear Nederland, Euroclear Sweden and Euroclear UK & Ireland. The Euroclear group settled the equivalent of EUR 837 trillion in securities transactions in 2019, representing 239 million domestic and cross-border transactions and held an average of EUR 30.1 trillion in assets for clients.

For more information about Euroclear, please visit www.euroclear.com.

Photo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/euroclear-business-and-financial-update-q1-2020.jpg

PR Newswire

Fang to Report Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results on April 24, 2020

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BEIJING, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Fang Holdings Limited (NYSE: SFUN) (“Fang”), a leading real estate Internet portal in China, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 before the U.S. market opens on Friday, April 24, 2020.

Fang’s management team will host a conference call on the same day at 8:00 AM U.S. ET (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time). The dial-in details for the live conference call are:

International Toll:

+65 67135600

Toll-Free/Local Toll:

United States

+1 877-440-9253 / +1 631-460-7472

Hong Kong

+852 800-906-603 / +852 3018-6773

Mainland China

+86 800-870-0075 / +86 400-120-0948

Direct Event Passcode

1578624#

Please register in advance of the conference using the link provided below. Upon registering, you will be provided with participant dial-in numbers, Direct Event passcode (1578624#) and unique registrant ID. Get prompted 10 min prior to the start of the conference. Enter the Direct Event Passcode above (1578624#), and your unique Registrant ID, followed by the pound or hash (#) sign to get into the call.

Direct Event online registration: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/8819045

A telephone replay of the call will be available after the conclusion of the conference call from 11:00 AM ET on April 24, 2020 through 9:59 AM ET May 2, 2020. The dial-in details for the telephone replay are:

International Toll:

+61 2-8199-0299

Toll-Free/Local Toll:

United States

+1 855-452-5696 / +1 646-254-3697

Hong Kong

+852 800-963-117 / +852 3051-2780

Mainland China

+86 400-602-2065 / +86 800-870-0206

Conference ID:

8819045

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on Fang’s website at http://ir.fang.com.

About Fang

Fang operates a leading real estate Internet portal in China in terms of the number of page views and visitors to its websites. Through its websites, Fang provides primarily marketing, listing, financial and value-added services for China’s fast-growing real estate and home furnishing and improvement sectors. Its user-friendly websites support active online communities and networks of users seeking information on, and other value-added services for, the real estate and home furnishing and improvement sectors in China. Fang currently maintains approximately 65 offices to focus on local market needs and its website and database contains real estate related content covering 658 cities in China. For more information about Fang, please visit http://ir.fang.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Jessie Yang
Investor Relations Director
Email: ir@fang.com

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fang-to-report-fourth-quarter-2019-financial-results-on-april-24-2020-301042629.html

Business, Editorial, Social Media, Video

techENT Interviews Nicole Tan of Facebook

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This whole COVID-19 situation has been quite trying for plenty of people. For Malaysia, the country is in its third phase of a state sanctioned quarantine, or Movement Control Order (MCO) in their words. The MCO means that there are some imposed restrictions to how you can move about in the region. No one can come into or out of Malaysia at this time too. In other words, we are under a limited lock down.

This also means that most organisations in Malaysia are on a work-from-home policy, including us. Working from home is not a new concept though. Funnily enough, it is not tech-based firms that has gone big with work-from-home concepts. Still, this is the time when everyone just must start adopting the work-from-home culture. Not like they have a choice anyway in Malaysia.

Facebook has been one organisation at the forefront of business transformations in the region. They have also transformed how businesses work and sell their products in the modern world. They are more than just a Social Media app you have on your smartphones. Facebook is more than an app just to keep in touch with your friends.

It has become a live news channel, where you can view live updates on the most current news. You can set up watch parties (limited to Facebook Watch and videos) to a live event. It has become a live event space, if you might for the public. With Messenger and WhatsApp, it is a communication powerhouse; an all-in-one tool for your daily communication needs.

If you need to, Facebook can be your marketplace, or the place where you shop with marketplace. With Facebook Watch, it is your source of entertainment. It can even be your calendar if you really need it to be. It is truly a one-stop, go-to, solve-it-all platform where you can find anything and everything.

That is also why when we were given the chance to sit down with Nicole Tan of Facebook Malaysia, we took the offer up.

Nicole Tan is not just a random person in Facebook Malaysia. She is the Facebook Malaysia’s Country Director. When you say top brass, she is it for Facebook Malaysia. The buck stops with her. Of course, no one is better qualified to talk about Facebook’s presence and efforts in Malaysia than her.

Source: Facebook

We started the interview with a burning question of ‘how?’ Everyone is in this trying period that is the MCO and plenty are forced to bring work home. In that case, everyone has to adapt to a completely new working environment and culture. Every other person is of course looking toward the big tech names for guidance and inspiration.

Facebook has always had a very flexible approach toward this issue of course. Being a tech firm there are already measures in place for a work-from-home situation. In fact, Facebook Malaysia has adopted the work-from-home policy even before Malaysia’s MCO is implemented. According to Nicole Tan, the firm has adopted to the situation very quickly. Naturally, there has been a lot more web-conferencing that is needed for daily operations. For Nicole then, it is almost just like any other day in the office; just with more video conferencing than ever.

There is one big concern for consumers who are on Facebook though. The platform has become one of the biggest news channels in the world. In Malaysia at least, plenty rely on Facebook for the latest updates in the region. In these trying times, more so rely on Facebook and its services for information. With fears of cyber attacks and scams related to COVID-19 as well, fake news is another big concern. In that, Facebook has been working very closely with their partners which include health institutes and certain government departments to verify news sources. They are not just doing it on Facebook as a platform though. They are also doing it on Whatsapp, Messenger and even Instagram.

Source: Facebook

All this accumulates to Facebook’s very own COVID-19 specific information center. The section is also an accumulation for your benefit. Facebook, through the center is working to bring forward tips and resources from experts and other certified sources to keep you healthy and informed at this time. This is not something new for Facebook. At this time though, to verify all the news, they have spent quite a significant amount of money to work with fact-check networks just so that you get the correct information.

That is not all they have been doing in the fight for COVID-19 though. Being one of the largest tech firms in the world, they could contribute plenty to the efforts around the world. They join other multinationals in donating relief funds and even development of vaccines. In total, they probably has put forth about US$ 70 million in the efforts of not just fighting the disease, but also fighting the side-effects of the global pandemic.

In that also, Facebook is using their platform to help Small Medium Enterprises (SME) even here in Malaysia. Globally Facebook will be offering grants for SMEs or even guide businesses to survive this period of MCO. If you need more information on that, do visit their website.

Source: Facebook

Nicole also added that they are also working with certain Non-Government Organisations (NGO) and Non-Profit Organisations; one of them is Yellow House KL. Of course, there are more that they are doing in the global fight of COVID-19. You can keep yourselves updated on their efforts on their newsroom.

Nicole also gave us a lot of good insights on how Facebook has adapted to the global pandemic situation. For that you should refer to the interview video. Facebook is a free Social Media platform that is available for free on Google’s Play Store for Android and Apple’s Play Store for the iOS.

Android, Mobile, News

HONOR 30 Series Debuts in China

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The HONOR brand has always been known for bringing devices with great value for money and killer specs. Their flagship devices always bring top of the line specifications with a price point that makes them even more compelling. This year, the company is looking to do this with the HONOR 30 Series. Their latest flagship which refocuses their line up on smartphone photography.

The HONOR 30 series consists of three devices: the HONOR 30, HONOR 30 PRO and the HONOR 30 PRO+. The new line up is HONOR’s first to carry the Kirin 990 and Kirin 985 processors. The new 7nm chipsets bring 5G capabilities and better power efficiency. In fact, the HONOR 30 is the first smartphone to carry the all new Kirin 985 processor. The HONOR 30 PRO and PRO+ will be running on the Kirin 990 processor.

When it comes to display, the HONOR 30 PRO+ is the only one in the range which comes with 90Hz refresh. Other than that, the HONOR 30 series comes with an OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. The HONOR 30 comes with a smaller 6.53-inch display while the PRO and PRO+ come with a larger 6.57-inch display. Across the series, the displays have a Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels.

On the memory side of things, the 30 will be equipped with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM while the PRO will only come with 8GB of RAM while the PRO+ will come with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. The 30 and 30 PRO will be pairing their RAM with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage while the PRO+ will be only have 256GB of internal storage. This is expandable with HUAWEI’s proprietary NM card.

As mentioned earlier, the HONOR 30 range is refocusing the company’s flagship series on photography. The 30 is equipped with a quad camera setup. The camera setup consists of a 40-megapixel RYYB sensor, a telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. However, the PRO and PRO+ versions of the HONOR 30 come with a 50-megapixel RYYB sensor for the main sensor; specifically the Sony IMX700. They also retain all the same telephoto lens but have a larger 16-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. The PRO and PRO+ come with only a triple camera setup unlike the quad camera on the HONOR 30. All these devices are capable of 50x hybrid zoom.

On the front, the 30 PRO and PRO+ come with a dual sensor setup with a 32-megapixel sensor paired with an 8-megapixel sensor. The HONOR 30 is equipped with a single 32-megapixel sensor.

The HONOR 30 series is the company’s first to come with 5G connectivity. This includes mmWave and sub-6 connectivity. The series comes with dual SIM capabilities and is powered by a 4000mAH battery with support for 40W SuperCharge. Wireless charging is only supported on the HONOR 30 PRO+. It also supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 LE. The series will be running Android 10 with Magic UI 3.1.

Pricing & Availability

The HONOR 30 and 30 PRO will be available in three colours: Emerald Green, Icelandic Frost, Neon Purple and Midnight Black. While the HONOR 30 PRO+ seems to have an additional Titanium Silver edition with the brand inscribed. Pre-order have already begun in China with the device scheduled to be available starting on 21 April.

Pricing is as follows:

RAM/StorageHONOR 30HONOR 30 PROHONOR 30 PRO+
6GB/128GBCNY2,999 (USD$425/MYR1,853)––
8GB/128GBCNY3,199 (USD$453/MYR1,976)CNY3,999 (USD$566/MYR2,470)–
8GB/256GBCNY3,499 (USD$496/MYR2,161)CNY4,399 (USD$623/MYR2,717)CNY4,999 (USD$708/MYR3,088)
12GB/256GB––CNY5,499 (USD$779/MYR3,397)
PR Newswire

111 Files Annual Report on Form 20-F for Fiscal Year Ended 2019

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SHANGHAI, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — 111, Inc. (“111” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: YI), a leading integrated online and offline healthcare platform in China, today announced it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on April 16, 2020.

The annual report is available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.111.com.cn/ as well as the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to Investor Relations Department 3-5/F, No. 295 ZuChongZhi Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, The People’s Republic of China.

About 111, Inc.

111, Inc. (NASDAQ: YI) (“111” or the “Company”) is a leading integrated online and offline healthcare platform in China. The Company provides hundreds of millions of consumers with better access to pharmaceutical products and healthcare services directly through its online retail pharmacy and indirectly through its offline pharmacy network. 111 also offers online healthcare services through its internet hospital, 1 Clinic, which provides consumers with cost-effective and convenient online consultation and electronic prescription services. In addition to providing direct services to consumers through its online retail pharmacy, 111 also enables offline pharmacies to better serve their customers. The Company’s online wholesale pharmacy, 1 Drug Mall, serves as a one-stop shop for pharmacies to source a vast selection of pharmaceutical products. The Company’s new retail platform, by integrating the front and back ends of the pharmaceutical supply chain, has formed a smart supply chain, which transforms the flow of pharmaceutical products to pharmacies and modernizes how they serve their customers.

For more information on 111, please visit ir@111.com.cn

For more information, please contact:

111, Inc
IR Director
Ms. Monica Mu
ir@111.com.cn

Christensen
In China
Mr. Christian Arnell
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
E-mail: carnell@christensenir.com

In U.S.
Ms. Linda Bergkamp
Phone: +1-480-614-3004
Email: lbergkamp@ChristensenIR.com

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/111-files-annual-report-on-form-20-f-for-fiscal-year-ended-2019-301042591.html

Source: 111, Inc.

PR Newswire

Pearl Abyss Begins Final Beta for Shadow Arena

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SEOUL, South Korea, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Pearl Abyss announced that its action battle royale Shadow Arena has entered its final phase of Beta testing today at 4PM (KST). Players across the globe can now experience the improved gameplay of Shadow Arena on Steam until April 20.

Pearl Abyss Begins Final Beta for Shadow Arena
Pearl Abyss Begins Final Beta for Shadow Arena

In Shadow Arena, 40 Heroes battle against each other in fierce, action-packed showdowns to become the final survivor. New content, such as a more sophisticated matching system, has been introduced to the final Beta to provide a higher level of gameplay for global players. 

The new AI Matches mode allows a maximum of 5 players to fight as allies against 40 AI opponents. A Normal Match mode, where the game’s results are not recorded, is also available along with other additions including a new giant monster the Stoneback Crabs, and a Blessed Area, which will greatly increase a Hero’s HP regeneration. 

Heroes who have signed up for a Beta key can receive a Premium Beta Key that will give them special in-game rewards. These rewards are the highest grade sealed items, such as the Matchlock and Red Dragon’s Offering. Heroes can play Shadow Arena more strategically with these sealed items. 

As the current test is being conducted as the “final” Beta, Pearl Abyss is preparing to release the early access of Shadow Arena soon.  

For more information on Shadow Arena, visit the official website, Discord, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

About Pearl Abyss

Best known for the MMORPG franchise Black Desert, Pearl Abyss is a leading developer in the game industry. Established in 2010, Pearl Abyss has since developed Black Desert for PC, mobile, and console, and is developing Shadow Arena for PC and console. All of Pearl Abyss’ games are built on the company’s own proprietary engine and are renowned for their cutting-edge graphics. The company is also developing Crimson Desert, DokeV, and PLAN 8 and is poised to continue its growth through 2020 and maintain its position as one of Asia’s leaders in game development. More information about Pearl Abyss is available at: www.pearlabyss.com.

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200416/2778768-1?lang=0

PR Newswire

Globe Invests in Cloud Business to Expand ICT Capabilities

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MANILA, Philippines, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Globe Telecom, Inc. (“Globe”) has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of US-based Cloud Consulting Companies, Cascadeo Corporation and Cascadeo Partners (referred to as Cascadeo) for US $4M. Globe shall incorporate new entities through which the acquisition will be made. As part of the transaction, Globe, along with Cascadeo, will make follow up investments into the entities for growth capital to fund the company’s expansion strategies. Full execution of the agreement is targeted in the next few months following completion of regulatory approvals.

This investment echoes Globe’s trust to build a robust ICT portfolio and deliver tools and solutions that propel businesses to stay competitive towards the digital future. Globe’s vast resource pool and extensive reach in the Philippine market together with Cascadeo’s specialized expertise in cloud-based products and services bring forth synergies, which will be passed on to the Philippine and US enterprise clients through an upgraded cloud-based product and service offering.

“The joint venture with Cascadeo will further strengthen our ability to invent, innovate, and experiment,” said Globe President and CEO, Ernest Cu. “We will be leveraging on Cascadeo’s Cloud-Native Consulting and Managed Services capabilities to further solidify our credibility as a cloud solutions provider for enterprises and small and medium business customers who are ready to digitally transform.” The deal forms part of the strategy of Globe Business to accelerate development of its ICT capabilities and solutions and to provide their customers a complete suite of cloud-native products and services.

“We’re excited to have a partner like Globe in the next stage of our growth journey. Their commitment to cloud-first and speed of adoption are rare to see in large organizations. We also admire that Globe has balanced achieving business goals with taking care of their people. We continue to be amazed by the talent of the Filipino workforce and partnering with Globe will be instrumental in helping us become an employer of choice as we broaden our footprint in the Philippine market,” said Jared Reimer, CEO of Cascadeo Corporation.

Founded in 2006, Cascadeo is one of only a few elite Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) Premier Consulting Partners in North America and is also a Managed Services Provider (“MSP”). Their expertise is on automation, Cloud-Native Platform as a Service, Data Analytics, Serverless Infrastructure and programmatic security. They also have professional consulting services and managed operations for customer deployments on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, NetApp Cloud Solutions and even on-premise VMWare private cloud environments. Cascadeo is head-quartered in Seattle, Washington and maintains a Cloud Operations Center of Excellence in Manila, which supports their customers in the US and the Philippines.

About Globe

Globe is a leading full-service telecommunications company in the Philippines and is publicly listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange with the stock symbol GLO. The company serves the telecommunication and technology needs of consumers and businesses across an entire suite of products and services including mobile, fixed, broadband, data connectivity, internet and managed services. It has major interests in financial technology, digital marketing solutions, venture capital funding for startups, entertainment, and virtual healthcare. Its principal shareholders are Ayala Corporation and Singtel, acknowledged industry leaders in the country and in the region.

Globe News Room: globe.com.ph/about-us/newsroom
Follow @enjoyglobe on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Cascadeo

Founded in July 2006, Cascadeo, a US-based entity with a subsidiary in the Philippines, is a Premier AWS Consulting Partner and Managed Services Provider (MSP) that specializes in cloud migration, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Originally established to focus on data centers and customized managed hosting, Cascadeo has evolved to become a Premier AWS Consulting Partner that also provides on-going managed services within the public cloud ecosystem. The company also has partnerships or certifications with other cloud vendors such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes and NetApp Cloud Solutions. Cascadeo.io, an AIOps-enabled platform, is considered the next generation managed services delivered as a SaaS (Software as a Service).

For more information, visit www.cascadeo.com

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globe-invests-in-cloud-business-to-expand-ict-capabilities-301042583.html

Source: Globe Telecom, Inc.

Health, Lifestyle, News

Fitbit Introduces COVID-19 Resource Hub

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Fitbit has always been known for their wearables and health-centric devices. The company is arguably one of the first to pioneer health-centric gadgets such as fitness trackers. Just recently, Fitbit announced the availability of the new Charge 4 which brings much sought after features to one of their most popular fitness trackers.

This week, the company is focusing on their app; the place where all the magic happens. Fitbit devices, while good for tracking need a way to convey the data they collect in an easy to understand way; that’s where the App comes in. However, the app isn’t just about the data either, it has evolved over the years to become a community hub for Fitbit users around the world. Fitbit has also helped this along the way by introducing more ways to interact on the app.

More recently, the app saw the launch of a premium service where users are able to access personal training, nutrition advice and workout plans and videos for a monthly fee. This was further bolstered by the introduction of new app based features for the Charge 4. Now, in light of the current global pandemic, the company is introducing yet another feature – a COVID-19 Resource Hub.

The current pandemic is one of the first pandemics of its scale and the advent of social media has undoubtedly introduced a new dimension to how pandemics work. With a massive amount of information at our fingertips, it’s hard to discern what is real and what isn’t. The new COVID-19 resource hub is Fitbit’s way of helping the Fitbit community get access to verified information about the pandemic. The hub will feature information sourced from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help the community keep safe, informed and healthy. The resource hub will appear in app as a red cross on the quick access bar starting on April 10, 2020.

In addition to the Resource Hub, users in the United States will be able to get access to doctors virtually via the Fitbit app. The company will be working with PlushCare, an online medical consultation provider, to provide this service. Using PlushCare, users will be able to get access to board-certified doctors virtually. The doctors will be able to provide diagnoses and prescription refills for those who need it during the lockdown. They are also recognised by insurance providers in the U.S. so users will be able to charge their insurance or copay. However, if you’re uninsured, you will have to pay USD$99 on top of the monthly Fitbit Premium membership fee for each visit. We don’t have word on whether Fitbit is looking to bring the feature to other countries just yet.

These efforts come as a complement to Fitbit’s many research efforts. The company has already been collaborating with research organisations such as The Scripps Research Institute and Stanford Medicine to help use wearables to detect early signs of diseases. Their research has, so far, been limited to viral illnesses. The researchers are currently looking at using this research to help identify COVID-19 cases using activity, sleep and heart rate data. The company is inviting users to share their data to help contribute to this research and also help in the battle against the SARS-CoV-2.

Fitbit has also made their premium service free for 90-days during the pandemic. With access to Premium, users are able to access over 40 at home workouts, meditations, sleep tracks and more in the Fitbit app. This offer is only available to new Premium members as a free trial.

PR Newswire

KLab Unites with the Game Industry and WHO #PlayApartTogether Campaign to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

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TOKYO, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — KLab Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Hidekatsu Morita, hereinafter referred to as “KLab”) announced that together with major game publishers around the world and the WHO (World Health Organization) that they are uniting to support the #PlayApartTogether campaign. The initiative encourages people to help slow the spread of COVID-19, which is sweeping its way around the world, by following health and safety guidelines to stay at home.

KLab joins #PlayApartTogether.
KLab joins #PlayApartTogether.

As the whole world is currently being impacted by the spread of the COVID-19, the company decided to do our part by joining the #PlayApartTogether initiative. KLab wants to support gamers and everyone around the world by encouraging them with the following message to “stay home, practice physical distancing, and play games together.”

KLab joins #PlayApartTogether.
KLab joins #PlayApartTogether.

In addition, they have decided to hold their own in-game campaigns so that players can enjoy their time at home starting today. Details of the in-game campaigns will be announced on the official websites and social media pages for each title.

Message

To everyone around the world,

 

I believe that we are all feeling uneasy these days because of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). Staying at home is now more important than ever to prevent transmission and protect our loved ones. Games are a great form of entertainment you can enjoy at home. Instead of going out, we can work together to help contain the infection by staying home and playing games with our families, partners, and friends (#PlayApartTogether).

 

We have also set up campaigns to help you enjoy some of the games we have to offer.

 

We pray for the safety and good health of everyone around the world.

 

KLab Inc.

President and CEO

Hidekatsu Morita

About #PlayApartTogether

The world’s major game publishers and developers have united for this initiative to disseminate the correct WHO recommended health guidelines, such as physical distancing and hand hygiene to help slow the spread of COVID-19. These messages will be conveyed around the world through games and industry networks. The ability to stay home and play games while interacting with others is one way of maintaining both your mental and physical health.

For more information on #PlayApartTogether please visit the official announcement page and the WHO website.

* Company, product, and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Participating Campaign Game Titles

Games participating in KLab's #PlayApartTogether campaigns.
Games participating in KLab’s #PlayApartTogether campaigns.

“Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars” 
Players can receive Show Candy (100%) x5 and other great rewards.

“Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team”
 Players can receive up to 100 Dreamballs, SSR Transfer Tickets, and other great rewards.

“Bleach: Brave Souls”
 Players can receive a Choose a 5 Summons Ticket (April 2020), a Choose a 5 Summons Ticket (April 2020 Seasonal), and other great rewards.

“Utano Princesama Shining Live”
 Players can receive an 11-Shot Pass (SR+ x1) and other great rewards.

“Love Live! School Idol Festival” 
Players can receive Sugar Cubes [LP50], Scouting Tickets, Scouting Coupons, a UR Scouting Ticket and other great rewards.

*For further details be sure to check out the in-game announcements. Contents are subject to change without prior notice.

*Please note that some titles may not be playable depending on the service language or region of the user.

Copyright

©2013 PROJECT Lovelive!
©2017 PROJECT Lovelive! Sunshine!!
©PROJECT Lovelive! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
© KLabGames
©SUNRISE
©bushiroad

©Yoichi Takahashi/SHUEISHA
©Yoichi Takahashi/SHUEISHA/TV TOKYO/ENOKIFILM
© KLabGames

©Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV TOKYO, dentsu, Pierrot ©KLabGames

©SAOTOME GAKUEN © KLabGames

©2013 PROJECT Lovelive!
©2017 PROJECT Lovelive! Sunshine!!
© KLabGames
©bushiroad

About KLab

KLab is a leader in online mobile gaming. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Tokyo, the company is listed on the 1st Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. KLab has consistently ranked as one of the top 52 grossing game publishers worldwide since 2012. With its emphasis on quality and innovative games, KLab continues to grow at a rapid pace, expanding beyond the Japanese market with an office in Shanghai. For more information about KLab, please visit http://www.klab.com/jp/english/.

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Source: KLab Inc.