Yearly Archives: 2021

PR Newswire

The Rising Demand for Tencent Cloud’s High-Performance Audio and Video Solutions Worldwide

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Tencent Cloud helps brands and organizations to stay connected with target audiences all over the world seamlessly and securely

HONG KONG, March 9, 2021 — There is no doubt that livestreaming has now become essential, not just in business and in events but in people’s daily lives as a whole. A wide range of industry sectors, such as social, entertainment and live shows, OTT sports, gaming, e-commerce, education and finance, among many others, have adopted livestreaming to maintain a high-level of interactions and seamless engagements with their target audiences from around the globe. An increasing number of organizations now offer live broadcasting services – and in China alone, more than 90% of companies in the video industry have deployed the services of Tencent Cloud, recognizing its high-performance, secure and reliable offerings.

Today, the demand for livestreaming services around the world is surging as Tencent Cloud makes its mark globally, providing support for global and regional virtual events, including the 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships, the United Nations 75th anniversary, the 127th China Import and Export Fair, Paris Fashion Week, Global Tourism Economy Forum, ExpoPromoter, etc., have also benefited from Tencent Cloud’s seamless and high-caliber products and technology.

Tencent Cloud’s suite of live audio and video solutions can be applied to a wide range of scenarios. A great example is the support for e-commerce platform Shopee, a leading cross-border e-commerce shopping platform in Southeast Asia. Its Q&A and e-commerce live broadcasts are carried out at the same time, highly requiring massive resources that Tencent Cloud provides. In particular, the Shopee Live broadcast during the entire 12.12 Sale of 2020 garnered 450 million views, and the number of in-app games played reached 2.7 billion. In 2020, the average daily viewing time of the entire Shopee Live site has increased by 15 times, fully demonstrating the capabilities of Tencent Cloud’s services.

Another notable example is the broadcast of the Melon Music Awards (MMA) 2020, one of the largest music events in Korea. Tencent Cloud, in collaboration with Hyosung ITX, has supported MMA’s first fully digital version and is able to cope with around two million peak concurrent users from around the globe during the event with ultra-low delay and ultra-high image quality.

It is no surprise that these reputable brands choose Tencent Cloud, given its years of expertise and capabilities in content delivery. Tencent Cloud helps corporates and organizations tackle any barrier they may face in their broadcasts through its suite of industry-leading audio and video solutions, which could complement each other for different scenarios, including:

  • Live Video Broadcasting (LVB)
    • Supports live streaming with high numbers of concurrent access requests requiring ultra-low delay and ultra-high image quality, helping satisfy customers’ diverse needs
    • Provide extremely stable live push, high-definition transcoding, distribution and playback services.
    • Suitable for various industries and scenarios such as gaming, sporting events, e-commerce, media, online education and more.

 

  • Video on Demand (VOD) 
    • A comprehensive audio/video solution that integrates audio/video upload, live recording, media asset management (file upload and storage), automated transcoding, video AI, content delivery acceleration, and player SDKs.
    • Suitable for live broadcast scenes with recording and distribution, such as sports, gaming, online education, playback recording and broadcasting, and community content sharing.

 

  • Tencent Real-Time Communication (TRTC)
    • Offers multi-person audio/video calls and low-latency interactive live streaming solutions that can be directly implemented on PC, Mac and mobile devices through web and SDK integration.
    • Offers a global average end-to-end latency of less than 300ms. Even when the packet loss rate exceeds 40% and the network jitter goes over 1,000ms, TRTC can still guarantee high-quality, smooth and stable audio and video communications despite a weak network environment.

 

  • User Generated Short Video SDK (UGSV)
    • Leverages the powerful upload, storage, transcoding and distribution capabilities of Tencent Cloud’s VOD to offer features such as video capturing, clipping, splicing, special effects, sharing and playback.
    • Suitable for creative short videos for social media, short video news, gaming, among others.
    • The short video SDK can be used with instant messaging (IM), social networking, user profiling, beauty filters and other Tencent services to help create user-generated short mobile video apps quickly and easily.

Poshu Yeung, Senior Vice President of Tencent Cloud International, said, "Organizations and corporates constantly face challenges such as technological barriers, network traffic bust, global availability zone coverage, customization and maintenance cost in their livestreaming and broadcasts, which have now become an essential part of their business. With our range of industry’s leading live audio and video solutions, Tencent Cloud is committed to being their trusted partner through our experience, expertise and innovative solutions, and will continue to deliver them high-performance, stable and reliable live broadcasting services."

Tencent Cloud is a secure, reliable and high-performance public cloud service provider that empowers global access and a rich array of services to governments and organizations that need advanced infrastructure and a resilient environment. As a strong testimony to Tencent Cloud’s top-notch security standard and competitive services in the global cloud computing industry, Tencent Cloud was named Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 Best Practice Competitive Strategy Leadership Award in Global Cloud Industry. It has also earned international certifications, including but not limited to ISO22301, ISO27001, ISO20000, ISO9001, Trusted Cloud Services, CSA STAR, and the Multi-Tier Cloud Security Standard (MTCS SS).

About Tencent Cloud

Tencent Cloud is Tencent’s cloud services brand, providing industry-leading cloud products and services to organizations and enterprises across the world. Leveraging its robust data center infrastructures around the world, Tencent integrates cloud computing, big data analytics, AI, Internet of Things, security and other advanced technologies with smart enterprise scenarios. At the same time, we provide a holistic smart enterprise solution for sectors including finance, education, healthcare, retail, industry, transport, energy and radio & television.

PR Newswire

People Matters launches BeNext, its own digital platform for cohort-based courses (CBC), and enters into a new business segment to amplify its impact in Leadership & HR

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–  Cohort-based courses (CBC) are emerging as a highly effective methodology in the digital learning space. CBCs increase retention, accountability and make the learning journey a lot more engaging for learners

–  Our courses are centered around the concepts of bla bla and blee blee. Currently, we have 18 programs, typically running at a frequency of once a quarter.

–  Over 1200 learners have already been certified through People Matters BeNext in the last 6 months on the beta version of the product. Organizations and companies enrolled include talent leaders from PepsiCo, TataSteel, Diageo, Deutsche Bank, GE, Lego, Maybank, OCBC and NTUC and many more.

–  Each four-week journey includes live masterclasses with industry-expert instructors like Matthew Kressy Founding Director, Integrated Design & Management, MIT; Jan Krogel Head of Employee Experience and People Analytics; Capgemini; Tanuj Kapilashrami, CHRO, Standard Chartered Bank; Liam McNally Diversity and Inclusion Partner, GitLab Inc; Ankur Warikoo, Co-founder Nearbuy.com, and many more. 

SINGAPORE, March 9, 2021 — At a time when capability building is at the top of the agenda for CHROs in 2021, talent leaders are seeking the best digital learning solutions for their workforce. People Matters launched People Matters BeNext to fulfill that need, offering a suite of unique Cohort-based Certification Programs designed to empower leaders and HR teams to excel in this new world of work.

People Matters BeNext Cohort-based Certification Program
People Matters BeNext Cohort-based Certification Program

People Matters has always been committed to boosting the impact of the HR community. BeNext Certification Programs are the result of months of research, conversations with industry leaders and discussions with talent professionals about what is needed NOW and what will be needed in the FUTURE.

Digital Cohort-based courses (CBC) increase retention, accountability and make the learning journey a lot more engaging for learners. In the last few months, People Matters BeNext has certified over 1,200 leaders from across the region with a unique learning journey that places the community at the center of its design. All BeNext cohort-based certifications are accredited by HRCI.

Commenting on the learning from building CBC, People Matters’ CEO & Editor-in-Chief, Ester Martinez shared, "We believe that the social aspect increases success in completing learning objectives; Further, a carefully designed mix of synchronous and asynchronous components gives learners the opportunity to be in control of their learning, focus on outcomes & improve their professional network."

Leaders from academia, business & entrepreneurship are invited to bring their expertise in the learner journey. "Cannot be more excited to join hands with the super high energy People Matters team, to launch an exciting CBC on ‘building winning teams’, exclusively focused on high-growth organizations," shares Ankur Warikoo, Founder Nearbuy.com, Mentor & Angel Investor.

What makes BeNext courses stand-out is their mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning, along with the community-driven cohort structure. BeNext is not a solo journey but designed to be started together and completed together. Talking about the design journey, Rohit Shenoy, Global Head L&D, DXC Technologies, shares, "This is the best combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning blended with social learning and learning from experts that I have experienced." Avinash Kholi, Executive Director – Leadership, Learning, and Organizational Capability, Boeing, adds that it is "designed with all the right ingredients of best-in-class facilitators, content, and community for maximum learning, engagement, and impact".

BeNext is launching 17 programs for this year in the areas of Hybrid Productivity to Enable people managers & HR teams to maximize productivity, engagement & innovation in distributed, hybrid and remote teams; HR Transformation to Enabling HR & Business leaders to design HR initiatives that are desirable, feasible & viable both human-centered & impactful to business; Diversity, Inclusion & Balance to enable organizations to accelerate the impact of D&I initiatives and shift the needle in their diversity & inclusion KPIs; and, Building winning teams for founders and executives of high growth start-ups to attract retain the best and design culture of ownership and success.

Organizations and companies enrolled include talent leaders from PepsiCo, TataSteel, Diageo, Deutsche Bank, GE, Lego, Maybank, OCBC and NTUC, and many more. Pilar Orti, Author of Thinking Remote shared that BeNext is the "best use of the online space".

All programs are structures as four week journeys with live masterclasses with industry-expert instructors like Matthew Kressy Founding Director, Integrated Design & Management, MIT; Jan Krogel Head of Employee Experience and People Analytics; Capgemini; Tanuj Kapilashrami, CHRO, Standard Chartered Bank; Liam McNally Diversity and Inclusion Partner, GitLab Inc; Ankur Warikoo, Co-founder Nearbuy.com, and many more. 

Check People Matters BeNext Programs: http://bit.ly/PMBENEXT

About People Matters

People Matters is a community of CHROs, Business and Government leaders committed to the advancement of talent & work practices for superior & sustainable business impact. Thriving on

Innovation, People Matters has continued to be a pioneer of insightful, impactful, and the most sought-after content for talent leaders in Asia. People Matters engages with over 350,000 talent leaders in the region to challenge, transform and enrich the way HR technology & talent management practices contribute to business growth and success. People Matters is the proud owner of digital and tech platforms for talent leaders, state-of-the-art virtual conferences, innovative physical events, and other digital properties.

For more information, please visit www.gopeoplematters.com

Media Contact:
Prakash Shahi
Prakash.shahi@gopeoplematters.com  
+91-9811135919

Photo: https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/people-matters-launches-benext-its-own-digital-platform-for-cohort-based-courses-cbc-and-enters-into-a-new-business-segment-to-amplify-its-impact-in-leadership-hr-2.jpg
Photo: https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/people-matters-launches-benext-its-own-digital-platform-for-cohort-based-courses-cbc-and-enters-into-a-new-business-segment-to-amplify-its-impact-in-leadership-hr.jpg

People Matters BeNext Cohort-based Certification Program for HR and Talent Professionals
People Matters BeNext Cohort-based Certification Program for HR and Talent Professionals

 

PR Newswire

PageUp to provide streamlined and accelerated recruitment solutions for leading US university

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Leading US university selects PageUp’s Recruitment Management module and Single Sign On Integration.

NEW YORK, March 9, 2021 — PageUp [https://www.pageuppeople.com], a provider of cloud-based talent management software, today announced that Stanford University’s Faculty Affairs unit has selected PageUp Recruitment Management to help streamline its faculty applicant tracking processes across its schools and divisions.

PageUp’s Recruitment Management module will help Stanford University Faculty Affairs to automate and streamline the faculty search and applicant tracking processes for its faculty hiring efforts.

The PageUp solution is designed to drive greater efficiency, automation and transparency in recruitment processes, allowing the institution to increase the quality and diversity of hires while delivering an outstanding candidate experience.

PageUp offers first-class customer support and a proven track record in the higher education industry, with colleges and universities around the globe using the PageUp solution.

PageUp will provide Stanford University Faculty Affairs with:

  • Recruitment Management solutions to automate faculty search and applicant tracking processes.
  • Position management functionality
  • Streamlined reporting with visibility into EEO and diversity data
  • A configurable system to manage different workflows for each school/division
  • Full search committee management

Mark Rice, PageUp CEO, says, "PageUp is excited to help Stanford University to attract the talent required to continually advance the needs of the institution. We’re proud to work with one of the world’s leading universities to deliver an innovative recruitment management solution and wonderful candidate experience."

About PageUp

The powerful PageUp platform optimizes each step of the talent management lifecycle – so everyone can reach their full potential. PageUp Talent Management software enhances HR processes with technology that HR professionals, people leaders and employees love to use. From Recruitment Marketing – including sophisticated content management, marketing automation and candidate relationship management tools – through to Recruitment Management, Onboarding, Learning, Performance, and Succession – all underpinned by Analytics.

Customers love PageUp for its deep functionality and ability to be configured for a range of workflows and industries, all accompanied by outstanding customer service. Used in over 190 countries, PageUp is a truly global solution. PageUp has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, New York, London and Dublin.

Related Links :

https://www.pageuppeople.com/

PR Newswire

Spring Sales March Expo Lets Buyers Meet Chinese Suppliers In Real-Time Without Travel

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NANJING, China, March 8, 2021 — Made-in-China.com, China’s leading comprehensive third-party B2B e-commerce platform, is hosting a massive virtual sourcing event, the Spring Sales, from March 1 to March 31, 2021 accessible via its website and mobile app.

With global travel still restricted, the Spring Sales provides buyers worldwide the timely opportunity to meet 50,000 registered suppliers in real-time.

During the free month-long event, registered members of Made-in-China.com are offered special filter functions, live showroom tours and exclusive discounts. Orders can be placed both on the platform and directly with suppliers.

No matter your product offering, chances are you’ll find them this month on Made-in-China.com. You can choose from 300,000 new products, covering almost every category, including consumer electronics, tools and machinery, clothing, accessories, jewelry, home decor and other specialty merchandise.

Rest assured regarding the quality of products with over 15,000 free samples available before placing an order. Moreover, there are more than 22,000 Rapid Dispatch products available shipped within 15 workdays after placing your order.

Newly integrated smart "Tags" makes filtering through the products easier than ever. Every product is tagged with various labels such as ‘Special Discount’, ‘Free Samples’, ‘Sold 10000+’ and others.

The grand expo, China International Export Fair, will also be held from March 15 to March 24 alongside the Spring Sales. Multiple advanced technologies of VR, 360 virtual tour, face-to-face online meetings, real-time language translation, and AR special features will provide a reassuringly real participation experience and support negotiations with suppliers.

Spring Sales is more than just deals, important as that is. It is a month of discovery giving you access to more than 600 selected showrooms round-the-clock livestreams. Attendees will witness more than 200 new product launches, visit more than 100 factories, and watch more than 300 out-of-box reviews. Made-in-China.com will also showcase how leading factories cooperate with the world’s leading companies and also equip you with free professional trend analysis on the machinery industry.

So, before you jump in, please create a plan of action. What products are you looking for? What industry news do you want to get? Do you sell seasonal goods to take advantage of the Rapid Dispatch Tag? Planning what you need ahead of time will make the ordering process much quicker, smoother and more efficient.

For more information about Made-in-China.com’s Spring Sales, please visit:

website: https://sourcing.made-in-china.com/2021-spring-sales/?utm_source=overnews&utm_medium=free&utm_campaign=PR

mobile version:

https://m.made-in-china.com/buyer/pf/index?utm_source=overnews&utm_medium=free&utm_campaign=PR

Related Links :

http://Made-in-China.com

Business, Computers, Lifestyle, Mobile, Social Media

Microsoft Teams Rolls Out End-to-End Encryption to Enhance Security

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Microsoft has finally rolled out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature to Microsoft Teams after a long wait. This feature is available for commercial or paid subscriber, and it only applies to one-to-one unscheduled meetings. Although, Microsoft mentioned that this feature will be applied in other types of meeting in the future.

This security feature has provided users a better platform to discuss sensitive and confidential matters or topics. Microsoft’s implementation not only encrypts the conversation during the meeting but also enhances cryptographic keys held on users’ devices. In other words, no third party gets access to the meeting or trace the conversations, including Microsoft. The latest security upgrade is supposed to reduce privacy concerns.

On the other hand, PowerPoint Live is one of the new features in Microsoft Teams, it allows users to remotely control the slides, while the viewers or other presenters can privately skip ahead to the content they want without disrupting the presentation. Presenters can review comments, content, notes, and meeting participants on a single screen, which is convenient.

Moreover, Microsoft Teams is offering 3 presenter modes for customized presentations. The 3 modes are ‘Standout’, ‘Reporter’, and ‘Side-by-side’.Only Standout mode will be released within this month (March 2021), Reporter and Side-by-Side mode will be released soon as per Microsoft. Standout mode places the presenter’s video feed front and center. Side-by-side places the video feed right beside the presenter’s slides. Reporter mode is pretty self-explanatory.

Of course, users can leave it in Dynamic Mode to keep things simple. Dynamic View personalizes and automatically manages the frame to the speaker window as people speak up or turn on their cameras. Users can decide to place the participant gallery at the top of their window, closer to your webcam’s placement. This layout arrangement helps maintain a sort of natural eye gaze. Dynamic View will also be coming later this month.

iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, Social Media

Fast Laugh-Feed Funny Short-Form Videos Rolled Out by Netflix on iOS For Now

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Netflix has rolled out a new iOS exclusive feature they call ‘Fast Laughs’, aat least it is exclusive for now. The feature is very similar to TikTok, full-screen short video streaming platform. Like TikTok as well, you interact by swiping vertically, and you can engage with the creator that you like via the engagement buttons on the side like the “LOL” button. Users can also share the short clips to their family and friends on multiple platforms or drag it to ‘My List’ so that you can watch the full film later.

This feature will be accessible from the bottom navigation tab, right beside the ‘Coming Soon’ tab. Short clips on “Fast Laughs” ranges anywhere from 15 to 45 seconds. Of course, the feature will not be avaialble on Netflix Kids’ profile because clips can be inappropriate.

At this time, “Fast Laughs” will be a sort of gateway for users to the comedy world that exists in Netflix. “Fast Laughs” at this time will feature clips from the comedy catalog with films like “Murder Mystery”, “big Mouth”, “the Crew”, and even snippets from stand-up comedians like Kevin Hart and Ali Wong. While the feature is only tapping into their “Netflix Originals” Comedy catalog within Netflix, they also said that they are looking to allow the feature to tap into their full catalog later on.

This feature is now available for iOS users in selected countries like U.S, Canada, UK, Australia, and Ireland. Netflix is also looking to be testing the feature on Android devices soon. Netflix is a free app available on both iOS and Android via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store respectively. While the app is free, there is a subscription fee. For more information, do visit the Netflix blog.

PR Newswire

WeLab completes initial close of Series C-1 funding, led by Allianz X for US$75 million and announces strategic partnership

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  • WeLab’s focus on technology and innovation in building a pan-Asian digital financial services platform complements Allianz’s expansion strategy with technology-focused partners in the region
  • Allianz and WeLab have established a strategic partnership with plans to develop and distribute investment and insurance solutions
  • WeLab Bank and Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) intend to enter into a strategic cooperation in digital wealth management and financial services. Once implemented, WeLab Bank will be the first digital bank to deploy this wealthtech advisory technology in Asia

HONG KONG, March 8, 2021 — WeLab, a leading fintech company in Asia, today announced it has completed the initial close of Series C-1 funding, led by Allianz X for US$75 million. Allianz X is the digital investment unit of the Germany-based Allianz Group, one of the world’s largest insurers and asset managers. Since inception in 2013, WeLab has raised more than US$600 million of strategic financing from the world’s most renowned investors. WeLab and Allianz have also established a strategic partnership to drive fintech collaboration across Asia’s financial services landscape. The new funding, together with Allianz partnership, will bolster the acceleration of WeLab’s pan-Asian growth strategy and expansion of digital financial services.

WeLab completes initial close of Series C-1 funding, led by Allianz X for US$75 million and announces strategic partnership
WeLab completes initial close of Series C-1 funding, led by Allianz X for US$75 million and announces strategic partnership

WeLab operates multiple online financial services with leading positions in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Indonesia including digital banking and consumer finance businesses, with close to 50 million individual users and over 600 enterprise customers. As Asia sails into the digital banking revolution and many countries in the region are in the process of studying or implementing digital banking frameworks. WeLab is ahead of the curve, spearheading the new age of banking operating WeLab Bank in Hong Kong — one of the first fully-licensed digital banks in Asia since obtaining its license in early 2019. With its unique market knowledge and extensive network, WeLab is perfectly positioned in this strategic partnership with Allianz to take advantage of the vast opportunities in Asia where its total addressable market size for financial services is close to US$3 trillion in annual revenue. 

WeLab has achieved significant milestones in the increasingly digital COVID era

In the COVID era, the market is rapidly evolving, with accelerated digital adoption as one of the outcomes. The pandemic has transformed people’s money habits across their financial journey. The boom in digital services adoption plays into WeLab’s strength in fintech services. WeLab has emerged stronger from the pandemic with multiple businesses achieving significant milestones in the past year. For example:

  • Fueled by increased digital adoption in online financial services, WeLab’s user base grew by 20% YoY, adding around 10 million users to the current 50 million user base, the largest user growth in recent years;
  • Launching a digital-only bank during the third wave of pandemic in Hong Kong proved to be extremely timely, with WeLab Bank garnering strong traction during its first 6 months of operations;
  • WeLend, Hong Kong’s largest pure online lending platform, outperformed the market by 70% during the year to achieve its all-time record high sales volume, at a time where traditional branch operating hours and business model were severely hampered;
  • WeLab’s B2B enterprise solution platform in Mainland China doubled the number of business partners from 300 to over 600 as financial institutions move towards online financial services;
  • In Indonesia, the mobile lending platform Maucash continues to scale with increased brand recognition and popularity of online financial services in Indonesia, achieving over 6x YoY volume growth.

Partnership will accelerate growth of WeLab’s pan-Asian financial services footprint

With this round of investment and new cooperation, WeLab aims to combine its advanced digital banking technology capabilities and market know-how with Allianz’s expertise in insurance and asset management, the two partners aim to holistically improve people’s financial wellbeing. The broader strategic cooperation between WeLab and Allianz will continue to develop over time and encompasses two key areas:

  1. The rollout of pioneering digital wealth management in Asia: WeLab Bank and Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) intend to enter into a strategic cooperation in digital wealth management and financial services. WeLab Bank is looking into developing and distributing digital wealth management solutions with AllianzGI, a global asset manager under Allianz, with assets under management of over EUR 582 billion*. These would aim to bridge the significant unmet investment needs in Asia, a region where only 27% of the population use financial advisors, resulting in a sizable under-advised population of over 3.4 billion. Once implemented, WeLab Bank will be the first digital bank to deploy this wealthtech advisory technology in Asia. The plan is to roll out these wealth management services to new digital customers in Hong Kong and later to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), through Wealth Management Connect, reaching the 72 million population in one of the world’s wealthiest megalopolis.

  2. New markets and new products: development and distribution of investment and insurance solutions: WeLab recognizes opportunities to widen the regional scope of its financial service offerings to other markets in which Allianz operates. For example, in the booming digital Southeast Asian economies, there are around 400 million active internet users, but over 70% of the total population is either unbanked or underbanked. There is, therefore, a lot of potential to expand the cooperation. The two companies are exploring opportunities to offer new digital investment and insurance products in the region, combining Allianz’s expertise in investment and insurance and WeLab’s network of customers and technology.

Simon Loong, Founder & Group CEO of WeLab, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Allianz as an investor and strategic partner to the WeLab Group. We see this as a first-in-market 4-way partnership where there are abundant synergies between WeLab, as a fintech leader and a pioneer in digital banking, and Allianz, as a global insurer and asset manager. More importantly, both companies share a vision on delivering advanced technology solutions to customers in Asia. Today, we announce both the new round of funding and a strategic partnership in wealthtech and banking at WeLab Bank. We look forward to expanding WeLab’s geographical presence and bringing our technology into these new markets with Allianz. We will be expediting our hiring this year, aiming to add around 100 hires, as investing in people and culture will be key to support future growth."

Nazim Cetin, CEO of Allianz X, said, "In a relatively short amount of time, WeLab has built up a powerful platform for digital financial services and achieved excellent access to retail and business customers in Asia, a region of strategic importance for Allianz. WeLab’s high-performance technology platform, in particular, makes it a unique fintech in the Asian markets. The investment in WeLab is a promising one for Allianz both economically and strategically. We look forward to leveraging our strategic partnership with WeLab and the business potential in the region."

Desmond Ng, Head of Asia Pacific at Allianz Global Investors, said, "Asia is home to some of the most dynamic wealth management and banking markets of the world. Hong Kong, in particular, is a significant market for us. With the second-highest bank deposits per capita in the world, it is a very attractive wealth management market. The potential strategic cooperation with WeLab presents an exciting opportunity for Allianz Global Investors as an integral part of our growth strategy in Asia."

Existing investors also participated in this round, reflecting their continued conviction and confidence in WeLab. The Series C-1 round remains ongoing, with the final close expected in the coming months.

About WeLab

WeLab, a leading fintech company in Asia, operates one of the first licensed digital banks in Asia – WeLab Bank, as well as multiple online financial services with leading positions in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Indonesia, with close to 50 million individual users and over 600 enterprise customers. WeLab uses game-changing technology to help customers access credit, save money, and enjoy their financial journey.

Powered by proprietary risk management technology, patented privacy computing techniques, and advanced AI capabilities, WeLab offers mobile-based consumer financing solutions and digital banking services to retail individuals and technology solutions to enterprise customers.

WeLab operates in three markets under seven key brands, including WeLend and WeLab Bank in Hong Kong, WeLab Digital (我来数科), Taoxinji (淘新机), Wallet Gugu (钱夹谷谷), and Tianmian Tech (天冕科技) in Mainland China and Maucash in Indonesia.

WeLab is backed by the most renowned investors including Allianz, China Construction Bank International, International Finance Corporation (a member of the World Bank Group), Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad, CK Hutchison’s TOM Group, and Sequoia Capital.

To learn more about WeLab, please visit: www.welab.co, or follow WeLab on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Allianz X

Allianz X invests in digital frontrunners in ecosystems relevant to insurance and wealth management. As one of the pillars of Allianz Group’s digital transformation strategy, Allianz X provides an interface between Allianz Operating Entities and the broader digital ecosystem, enabling collaborative partnerships in insurtech, fintech, and beyond. 

For more information, please visit: https://www.allianzx.com/.

About Allianz Global Investors

Allianz Global Investors is a leading active asset manager with over 700 investment professionals in 25 offices worldwide and managing EUR 582 billion in assets for individuals, families and institutions*.

We see investing as a journey and we seek to create value for our clients every step of the way. We invest for the long term, employing our global investment and risk capabilities and sustainable investing expertise to create innovative solutions that anticipate future needs. We believe in solving not selling – our goal is to elevate the investment experience for clients, wherever they are based and whatever their investment objectives.

Active is: Allianz Global Investors
*Source: Allianz Global Investors. Data as at 31 December 2020

For media enquiries, please contact:

WeLab:
WeLab Corporate Communications Team
Tel: +852 6214 4734
Email: pr@welab.co

Allianz X:
Gregor Wills
Tel: +49 89 3800 61313
Email: gregor.wills@allianz.com

Computers, News

The Apple iMac Pro is No More

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When we say no more in this case, it is not exactly true yet. There are still Apple iMac Pro devices still going around the market. But as per Apple, the only ones they are selling at this point is their base model with Intel’s 10-core Xeon CPU.

Apple’s iMac Pro is Apple’s iteration of what an all-in-one workstation should be. The iMac Pro is designed for heavy workloads and churn an impressive amount of compute power to do anything its users could think off. It was designed as well, to be as portable as possible so users can take it from one corner of the world to the other to get their work done on a reliable machine.

The latest iMac Pro comes with a 27-inch display that boasts 5K resolution with True Tone and option for nano-texture glass. While the base model is an Intel Xeon variant, you could opt for a 10-generation Intel Core i9 with up to 256GB* of RAM and up to 8TB of storage. If you really want to kit it out, you can even get a powerful AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT GPU for all your heavy rendering, 10-Gigabit ethernet for fast networking in the office, an excellent 1080p webcam for better web conferencing experience (important today), even better speakers and microphones, and a lot more.

The base model of the iMac Pro will set you back US$ 4,999 (MYR 20,855**) and comes with said 10-core Intel Xeon W processor. You get 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for that money. On top of that you get a Radeon Pro Vega 56 GPU.

Apple has announced that the current remaining batch of iMac Pro devices in the market are the last ones on sale. They have not confirmed if there are any replacement models for the iMac Pro or not. Sources say that you may not want to count on Apple replacing the iMac Pro at this time though. In that case, if you are looking for an Apple machine that could handle all your 3D modelling projects or CAD modelling, you might want to start looking at the Mac Pro.

*As per Apple Malaysia Website

**Official Apple Malaysia Pricing on Apple Website

Source: Engadget, Mac Rumors

PR Newswire

FactSet and Ping An to Offer Investors ESG Content and Analytics on Chinese Companies

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NORWALK, Conn., SHANGHAI and HONG KONG, March 7, 2021 — FactSet (NYSE:FDS) (NASDAQ:FDS), a global provider of integrated financial information and analytical applications, and Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An", HKEX: 2318; SSE: 601318) today announced a joint offering for investors considering environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) metrics for companies incorporated in China.

The offering will be launched by FactSet and Ping An’s associate company OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter "OneConnect", NYSE:OCFT), a leading technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions in China. FactSet will integrate OneConnect’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven ESG content sets into its workstations, standard data feed, and application programming interfaces (APIs) to accelerate the availability of ESG metrics for over 3,500 Chinese class A-share companies.

OneConnect offers comprehensive coverage of ESG factors and assessments for companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. These factors are derived from a combination of different sources of information obtained by AI technologies, such as natural language processing (NLP). OneConnect also provides a range of analytics tools in addition to the content that will be integrated into FactSet, such as NLP-driven disclosure transparency assessments, portfolio sustainability performance evaluation and adjustment, and a climate risk evaluation tool to help investors better integrate ESG measurements into their investment processes.

"ESG investing is accelerating globally and client demand is high for information on companies in China," said Tom Griffiths, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, FactSet. "Working with Ping An to strengthen FactSet’s ESG offering is an exciting step as we further expand integrated workflow solutions for our global client base. Combining OneConnect’s leading content with FactSet’s suite of applications will offer investment professionals a differentiated perspective on ESG impacts in the Chinese market."

"We are excited to build this partnership with FactSet," said Ye Wangchun, Chairman and CEO of OneConnect. "By integrating OneConnect’s AI-ESG information sets into FactSet’s powerful investment data and technology platform, investors can expand both the breadth and depth of their ESG investments, drawing on a broader set of China-focused ESG content and tools."

OneConnect’s ESG content will be available in the coming months in the FactSet workstation as well as via standard data feed and APIs.

For more information, please visit: https://www.factset.com/solutions/business-needs/esg-solutions.

About FactSet

FactSet® (NYSE:FDS | NASDAQ:FDS) delivers superior content, analytics, and flexible technology to help more than 138,000 users see and seize opportunity sooner. We give investment professionals the edge to outperform with informed insights, workflow solutions across the portfolio lifecycle, and industry-leading support from dedicated specialists. We’re proud to have been recognized with multiple awards for our analytical and data-driven solutions and repeatedly scored 100 by the Human Rights Campaign® Corporate Equality Index for our LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices.  Subscribe to our thought leadership blog to get fresh insight delivered daily at insight.factset.com. Learn more at www.factset.com and follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/factset.

About Ping An Group

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An") is a world-leading technology-powered retail financial services group. With over 218 million retail customers and 598 million Internet users, Ping An is one of the largest financial services companies in the world. Ping An focuses on two over-arching domains of activity, "pan financial assets" and "pan health care", covering the provision of financial and health care services through our integrated financial services platform and our ecosystems; in financial services, health care, auto services and smart city services. Our "finance + technology" and "finance + ecosystem" transformation strategies aim to provide customers and internet users with innovative and simple products and services using technology. As China’s first joint stock insurance company, Ping An is committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate reporting and corporate governance. The Group is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai. In 2020, Ping An ranked 7th in the Forbes Global 2000 list and ranked 21st in the Fortune Global 500 list. Ping An also ranked 38th in the 2020 WPP Kantar Millward Brown BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list.

For more information, please visit www.group.pingan.com and follow us on LinkedIn – PING AN. 

About OneConnect

OneConnect is a leading technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions in China. The Company’s platform provides cloud-native technology solutions that integrate extensive financial services industry expertise with market-leading technology. The Company’s solutions provide technology applications and technology-enabled business services to financial institutions. Together they enable the Company’s customers’ digital transformations, which help them increase revenue, manage risks, improve efficiency, enhance service quality and reduce costs.

Our technology-as-a-service platform strategically covers multiple verticals in the financial services industry, including banking, insurance and asset management, across the full scope of their businesses – from sales and marketing and risk management to customer services, as well as technology infrastructure such as data management, program development, and cloud services.

PR Newswire

Bigo Live, ANTRA and The Equality Project celebrate Mardi Gras and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ communities in Australia

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SYDNEY, March 5, 2021 — As part of the Mardi Gras celebrations in Australia and in partnership with ANTRA and The Equality Project, livestreaming app Bigo Live hosted "Together We Rise", a panel discussion echoing the theme of this year’s event, "RISE" and focusing on the platform’s diverse community.

Held on Friday, 26 February, "Together We Rise" brought together five thought leaders and active members of the LGBTQIA+ community to discuss how Mardi Gras may look and feel different this year, the opportunities and challenges they face and how the community has stayed connected and motivated during the pandemic through technology. The session featured Cedric Yin-Cheng, founder of ANTRA; Jason Tuazon-McCheyne, founder and CEO, The Equality Project; Adrian Tuazon-McCheyne, CTO, The Equality Project; Canadian-based bisexual Bigo Live broadcaster KirraZomby and was moderated by Perth-based transgender Bigo Live broadcaster, Dolly (BratzDoll).

The discussion was supported by Bigo Live ANZ’s Multi-People Room feature, a function that will enable panel participants to engage with viewers, answer questions and connect over shared experiences.

Multi-People Room feature, a function on Bigo Live
Multi-People Room feature, a function on Bigo Live

In honour of the event, Bigo Live is also donating USD2,000 to support the work of ANTRA and The Equality Project.

"Bigo Live broadcasters and users always demonstrate the Australian values of encouraging multiculturalism and egalitarianism. Our audiences’ gender identity, sexual identity and cultural diversity reflect a modern Australia, so we’re very pleased to have kicked off Mardi Gras celebrations with such an insightful ‘Together We Rise’ panel discussion," said a Bigo Live ANZ spokesperson.

"We are invested in ensuring that Bigo Live is one of the most diverse and inclusive social networking platforms and a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community as we all work together towards a better, more inclusive future for current and future generations of Australians."

The Equality Project is a national health promotion charity bringing together LGBTIQ+ people and allies to promote a better, more just, and fairer society for all Australians. By creating a truly intersectional discussion, they aim for LGBTIQ+ voices to be heard.

Jason Tuazon-McCheyne, founder of the Equality Project in 2020 Australia's National LGBTQ+ Conference
Jason Tuazon-McCheyne, founder of the Equality Project in 2020 Australia’s National LGBTQ+ Conference

"At the end of the day, your sexuality and your gender are just what they are.The sooner you can be your authentic self the better, and certainly find support networks to help keep you psychologically and physically safe," commented Jason Tuazon-McCheyne, founder and CEO of the Equality Project.

"In Australia we’ve only just recently had marriage equality which has changed a lot of things for us. I think being visible is being part of the solution; the more visible we are, showing that we are a diverse community, and telling our stories really helps move the conversation forward. It’s really important for us to tell our own stories because it humanises this LGBTQ+ acronym that’s often quite alienating for some people outside of the community," said Adrian Tuazon-McCheyne, CTO of the Equality Project.

The Australia & New Zealand Tongzhi Rainbow Alliance Inc.(ANTRA) is a community-based not-for-profit advocacy group, founded to celebrate and embrace diversity, but most importantly, to become a point-of-contact and support for Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking LGBTQIA+ community members, particularly migrants, international students and other newly arrived diasporas.

Cedric Yin-Cheng (right), founder of ANTRA on the Fair Day, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras 2020, Victoria Park, Sydney
Cedric Yin-Cheng (right), founder of ANTRA on the Fair Day, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras 2020, Victoria Park, Sydney

"Your sexuality and your gender identity are formed inside of you and you have to be comfortable in order to tell others who you are. Australia is a diverse society, but if you’re not in a safe environment or have open-minded friends, if you don’t have open-minded workplaces or schools, you risk putting yourself into a dangerous and unsafe position when coming out. So I would think about your safety first and secondly, think about whether you know yourself well enough to explain to other people, who might not be as smart or as fabulous as you are, who you are," said Cedric Yin-Cheng, founder of ANTRA, offering advice to the LGBTQ+ community about their journey to shaping their identity.

"It has been such a pleasure being invited by Bigo Live, the channel that has worked so much to make sure LGBTQI+ people are visible and well valued. I am proud and fortunate to have spoken with Dolly, Jason and many more other interactors in their comments and understand a lot more about how our community is on this lovely platform. I truly wish the best to Bigo Live and I am hoping Bigo Live continues with their excellent work in making sure the voices of LGBTQIA+ people are well heard and seen!" Yin-Cheng continued.

The panel was moderated by Dolly (known to her two thousand Bigo Live followers as BratzDoll, Bigo ID: Dooly19), a transgender woman and Bigo Live broadcaster who moved to Australia when she was nine years old and has been open with her personal experiences identifying as gay male before her transition and her journey to realising her true identity and finding her support network online.

With over 1.3 million subscribers across the ANZ region and a 20% sign-broadcaster increase month-on-month, Bigo Live is one of the world’s fastest-growing, community-first social networking platforms that uses livestreaming technology to bring people together. Globally, the platform connects over 400 million users worldwide.

This is the most recent livestreaming event hosted by Bigo Live dedicated to LGBTQIA+ users and allies. Prior to this, Bigo Live has announced a series of LGBTQIA+ initiatives globally, including an official corporate partnership with The Trevor Project and a #WeStandTogether event series in celebration of Pride Week in 2020.

The panel discussion was livestreamed at 6:00pm AEDT on Friday, 26 February on Bigo Live ANZ (ID: 80019), and the panel discussion is available to view here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_LTb4w5Im8WIgoJw-bf2STSWyLN0Bmyf/view

For enquiries on CSR partnerships:

Bigo Live ANZ is constantly looking for and eager to hear from CSR partners. Should your organisation be interested, please contact:

Erin Dong
Email: donglijuan@bigo.sg

For further media information or interview requests, contact:

Haystac for BIGO
Email: bigo@haystac.com.au

About Bigo Live
Bigo Live is one of the world’s fastest-growing live streaming social communities where users broadcast in real-time to share life moments, showcase their talents, and interact with people from around the world. Bigo Live has around 400 million users in over 150 countries and is currently the market leader in the live streaming industry. Launched in March 2016, Bigo Live is owned by Bigo Technology, which is based in Singapore.

For more information on Bigo Live, please visit www.bigo.tv/.

Related Links :

http://www.bigo.tv