Maybank is ramping up its security measures to protect customers from unauthorized transactions and financial scams. The bank has introduced an additional verification process for its Secure2u authentication method used for online banking transactions on the MAE app and Maybank2u web.
Starting October 31, 2023, first-time Secure2u users or those accessing it from a new device can securely activate it at any Maybank ATM across Malaysia. This new measure complements the five anti-scam measures introduced by the bank in July 2023.
Dato’ John Chong, Group CEO of Community Financial Services at Maybank, explained the significance of this initiative. He stated that allowing customers to self-activate Secure2u via an ATM enables them to physically verify their identity, giving them greater control over their online banking authorization process. This not only safeguards their accounts but also their finances from potential scammers.
The activation process is simple. Customers need to follow two steps:
Register for Secure2u on the MAE app, and
Activate Secure2u using their debit, credit, or charge card PIN number at any of Maybank’s 3,000 ATMs nationwide.
Once activated via ATM, customers can begin approving transactions after a 12-hour wait period. The bank may adjust this cooling-off period based on scam trends and transaction patterns. This step ensures that customers have sole approval authority over their Secure2u registration, adding an extra layer of security.
Maybank’s extensive network of ATMs ensures easy access for customers. These ATMs operate from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM daily and are strategically located in branches, service centres, shopping malls, petrol stations, train stations, hospitals, and more.
For a step-by-step guide on Secure2u activation and more information, visit maybank.my/secure2u.
Curlec, a full-stack payments solution provider under Razorpay, has become a member of Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet). This a significant move set to promote real-time payment adoption across Malaysia. Being the first new PayNet member since 2019, Curlec’s inclusion empowers them to drive wider adoption of real-time payment processing which aligns with Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) vision for a cashless society.
From left: Zac Liew, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Curlec; Gary Yeoh, Chief Commercial Officer, PayNet; Rahul Kothari, Chief Business Officer, Razorpay
With this membership, Curlec will adopt PayNet’s DuitNow product suite This will allow its customers to conduct real-time payments from bank accounts and e-wallets. This will bolster the services it offers its merchants including renowned brands such as Tune Protect, CTOS, Mary Kay, and The National Kidney Foundation.
Curlec brings valuable insights and expertise from the Razorpay Group, which pioneered India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI). UPI is the world’s largest digital payments market having processed 74 billion transactions in 2022 alone. The success of UPI in India, growing at an average of 380% since its launch in 2016, positions Curlec to drive the adoption of DuitNow payments in Malaysia effectively.
Zac Liew, Co-Founder & CEO of Curlec by Razorpay, emphasized the momentum they are building with their “Payments Uncompromised” approach. Curlec’s Payment Gateway has rapidly gained traction, processing over RM2 billion annually and serving more than 1,000 merchants. This paves the way for Curlec to innovate the digital payment landscape in Malaysia and scale DuitNow payments to the next level.
Source: Curlec by RazorPay
Liew outlined the broader vision, stating, “The target growth of Malaysia’s digital payments sets the path for The Curlec Payment Gateway’s target to serve more than 5,000 businesses with RM10 billion annualized gross transaction value (GTV) by 2025.”
Rahul Kothari, Chief Business Officer at Razorpay, expressed enthusiasm for their substantial investment in Malaysia’s domestic payment ecosystem. He sees parallels between the Malaysian and Indian payments markets, making Malaysia a key strategic market for them. Kothari believes they can play a pivotal role in promoting DuitNow adoption, similar to their role in scaling UPI in India.
CelcomDigi Berhad (CelcomDigi) and Time dotCom (Time) have announced a strategic partnership aimed at broadening home fibre broadband choices across Malaysia. In this collaboration, CelcomDigi will utilize Time’s fibre broadband infrastructure to extend home fibre services to more Malaysians, with a particular focus on residents of condominiums and apartments.
This partnership promises numerous advantages for CelcomDigi subscribers, including high-speed broadband connections of up to 1Gbps. Time’s symmetric downlink and uplink speeds ensure high upload rates. Furthermore, the collaboration streamlines fibre installation, making it a faster and more cost-efficient process. These efforts align with Malaysia’s digital ambitions.
Albern Murty, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of CelcomDigi, expressed excitement about the partnership’s potential. He sees it as a crucial step to expand connectivity, providing Malaysians with consistent and seamless internet experiences at home and beyond. He also hinted at more initiatives arising from this collaboration that will further benefit Malaysians.
Datuk Zainal Amanshah, Executive Director of Time, highlighted their commitment to delivering high-speed internet to as many Malaysians as possible. They’ve made their gig-speed network accessible to internet service providers for some time and are pleased to support CelcomDigi in delivering fast and reliable internet connectivity.
This collaboration represents another step in Malaysia’s efforts to enhance internet accessibility and affordability. In the past, Digi, before its merger with Celcom, had entered into similar agreements with Time to expand its fibre footprint. Additionally, Digi expanded its reach by signing agreements with TM’s HSBB network and TNB’s Allo.
While CelcomDigi and its competitors, TM and Maxis, have begun revising their fibre pricing, this partnership signifies a significant move towards bridging the digital divide and improving internet accessibility for all Malaysians.
Digitalization is affecting more and more businesses, and fashion is no exception. Penjana Kapital Sdn Bhd and Sea Limited (Malaysia) recently worked together to put on Tech in Fashion, an event that showcased fashion-tech innovations.
Penjana CEO, Taufiq Iskandar, addressing the crowd at Tech in Fashion
Textile waste poses a big problem for the environment because old clothes end up in landfills. It is one of the problems that the fashion industry must wrestle with. However, the use of cutting-edge technology is changing the way people buy clothes and making it more environmentally friendly. Four businesses were chosen to show off their new ideas, which included making eco-friendly fabrics, improving the local textile ecosystem, and making affordable clothes for everyday use.
At the showcase, Kloth Circularity Malaysia, Nanotextile Sdn Bhd, Kualesa,andOxwhite showed off how technology has helped them adapt to the times and stay successful. They also showcased sustainable practices during the “Pitch to Runway” workshop.
From left: Founders from Oxwhite, CK Chang; Kloth Circularity, Sarah Kedah; Nanotextile, Thomas Ong; & Kualesa, Haris Kamal.
When it comes to tackling waste, Sarah Kedah, Co-Founder of Kloth Circularity Malaysia, talked about how green technology can revolutionize the textile business. Kloth Circularity Malaysia turned old plastic bottles into valuable raw materials that can be used to make new clothes. By doing this, they have effectively made Kloth Circularity a part of the circular economy by creating a cycle of sustainability that will not only lessen waste but help with the economy as well.
With Generative AI (Gen AI) taking centre stage, it comes as no surprise that some companies have incorporated it into their workflows. Haris Kamal, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, said that Kualesa is using Gen AI and large language models (LLM) to improve marketing efficiency and automate predictive personalised email processes to increase conversion rates.
Entrepreneurs in the fashion industry can do well in this changing world by adopting digitalization, technology, and new ideas. As a tech company and e-commerce enabler, Sea is dedicated to helping sellers on its subsidiary Shopee’s platform. It is widely accepted that buying behaviours are rapidly changing and it is no different for textiles and fashion.
This article is contributed by Francis Chow, Vice President and General Manager, In-Vehicle Operating System and Edge, Red Hat
Organizations across the globe are deploying new services, generating massive amounts of data at the edge. With this explosion of data, companies are looking for ways to make real-time decisions where this data is being generated – this is where edge computing comes in. Whether it be massive amounts of data, clusters and nodes or disconnected and connected applications in hard-to-reach locations (or all of the above), edge computing can help companies create more intelligent devices, providing innovative ways to stand out in competitive and quickly evolving marketplaces.
Scalability, low latency, more bandwidth, enhanced security, standardization and reusability – these are benefits every organization wants in their infrastructure. But how can they get there? How do they use the IT and OT human and physical resources they currently have to make this happen? Companies are partnering with software companies like Red Hat to provide the infrastructure, support, services and solutions from the far edge to the cloud and back. Red Hat believes in open source solutions at the edge. Adopting open source technologies at the edge helps minimize vendor lock-in, facilitating standards-based integration and means anyone can inspect, modify or enhance, unlike proprietary software that is limited to specific users. From device endpoints to gateways to edge servers to on-premise data centres to the cloud, open source solutions can help drive collaboration and standardization across industries so that everyone can benefit from better products and faster innovation.
In the early stages of edge computing, Red Hat worked with service providers like Verizon to successfully use open source solutions at the edge to transform networks. Verizon built its 5G core network on a modern cloud platform because Red Hat has the capabilities for critical infrastructure with extremely high availability, security and performance requirements within our open source technologies. Red Hat then helped Verizon roll out this same platform to the edge to host 5G RAN base stations at the edge, achieving a homogeneous platform with a leg up in operational efficiency. Verizon is driving 5G into its network to offer its intelligent Edge Network (iEN) and Network as a Service (NaaS) strategy aiming to make its network the most intelligent, adaptive and service-aware network available.
Another example is automotive and software-defined vehicles. With software-defined vehicles, computing at the edge is critical as most of the computing workload is in the vehicle itself. We’re working with key players in the automotive industry to help them embrace new and innovative solutions that can keep up with the pace of change and overcome limitations that have created barriers to adopting new technologies, despite their efforts in standardization and reusability.
Two years ago, we announced that we were investing in the automotive market to build a functional-safety certified Linux operating system. Since then, we’ve started working with companies like Luxoft, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and General Motors to help advance software-defined vehicles at the edge. Red Hat and GM are continuing to work together to develop next-generation platforms for GM’s software-defined vehicles, while also creating a methodology to build high-quality and functionally safe platforms and applications. The goal of this collaboration is to establish best practices that promote the adoption of new technologies and ensure interoperability across different vehicles and systems, making the automotive community more accessible for all, including developers. Today, Red Hat announced the next step in this important work with a collaboration with ETAS, a subsidiary of Bosch, to provide a more scalable platform to help accelerate software-defined vehicle transformation. As a result of this collaboration, automakers can benefit from a tightly integrated, reliable and scalable platform for developing, testing and deploying advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving applications on software-defined vehicles.
As our ecosystem work shows, Red Hat is committed to helping our customers with their biggest challenges and it’s clear to see that open source is the new normal at the edge, whatever the use case. Whether it be concerns about security at the edge, flexibility at scale, management, integration and complexity, Red Hat can provide the best open source infrastructure software as they move to the edge.
Qualcomm, the powerhouse behind cutting-edge chipsets, is changing the game yet again. This time, it’s not about the chips themselves, but their names. Say goodbye to the “c” series and welcome the “X” series.
For years, Qualcomm has been synonymous with top-of-the-line chipsets, but not so much with memorable names. Now, after thorough analysis and consumer feedback, they’re revamping their PC chipset branding. Out goes the “c” series, and in comes the Snapdragon X Series. This change is not just cosmetic; it’s a leap into the future of PC experiences.
The “X” identifier distinguishes the PC platforms from other Snapdragon product categories, eliminating confusion. Now, it’s all about streamlined, user-friendly naming. No more puzzling over which chipset is right for you—Qualcomm has sorted it out.
But it’s not just about the name. Qualcomm is preparing to launch a whole new generation of chipsets that it touts will redefine your PC experience. These Snapdragon X series platforms build on Qualcomm’s expertise in CPU, GPU, and NPU (neural processing unit) technologies. It all starts with the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, a significant leap forward in both performance and power efficiency.
Qualcomm expects that as we move into 2024, the PC industry is about to witness a seismic shift. The Snapdragon X series promises exceptional performance, AI capabilities, unmatched connectivity, and impressive battery life. The Oryon CPU, combined with its NPU, is set to deliver blazingly fast on-device experiences.
The company will be revealing more at the upcoming Snapdragon Summit later this year.
This article is contributed by Shubham Saran, Head of Logistics, foodpanda Malaysia
Delivery riders see p-hailing as a viable income lifeline with its flexibility and quick access to fair and supplementary wages. A viable springboard to other industries and entrepreneurship, platform providers have been giving upskilling opportunities to delivery partners but will need the Government’s assistance to widen the scope.
Gig Economy’s Substantial Impact
The gig economy in Malaysia has witnessed an unprecedented surge over the last few years. Catapulted by the Covid-19 lockdown, this has revolutionised the country’s employment landscape, especially in how freelancing work is viewed. This transformation is most evident with the sheer number of p-hailing jobs out there now, which have also become integral to serving the daily lives of Malaysians.
According to the Economic Planning Unit, the gig economy contributed approximately 7% to the nation’s GDP in 2021, underlining its substantial impact[1]. Moreover, this sector has provided income opportunities to around 2 million Malaysians, cementing its role as a significant source of employment. This was especially critical during the pandemic when it became a lifeline for many suffering from the economic impact of Covid-19.
From that, 7 out of 10 workers are p-hailing delivery partners, according to a survey by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), showing just how important riders are to the economy. The same survey revealed almost half of all gig workers cited financial sustainability as their main reason for joining the gig economy. The reasons are obvious – gig work is the fastest and most flexible source of income, whether supplementary or primarily.
Riders have seamlessly integrated into Malaysian life, facilitating the delivery of food, groceries, packages, and more. Millions of orders crisscross cities and towns to be delivered each day. P-hailing riders not only provide convenience to consumers but significantly boost the growth of quick-commerce and online services. Their work is the backbone of the gig economy and bolsters the broader economy by driving trade and consumption.
In Malaysia, the gig economy has been evolving over the years and the role of riders has been both crucial and complex. While riders view this job as a convenient source of income, drawn in by its flexibility and quick access to fair income, many have criticised the nature of the work as an impediment to socio-economic mobility. But if we look from the lens of the younger generation, they would find gig work a viable springboard to other industries or even entrepreneurship opportunities.
We have to accept that there are many pathways to success for young Malaysians. However, the key importance is in recognising the potential for growth and upskilling within this sector. We delve into the issue currently and encourage our riders to embrace the upskilling opportunities provided to stay relevant in an ever-changing job market for those who view gig economy jobs as a mid- to long-term opportunity.
Commitment to Rider Upskilling
In line with this, it has been the core of foodpanda’s engagement with our delivery partners to provide numerous benefits and upskilling benefits for them. We recognise the pivotal role of riders in the gig economy and are committed to enhancing their value beyond delivery service.
For example, we recently partnered with Manipal International University (MIU) to provide riders with the opportunity to pursue tertiary education focusing on a two-year sponsored journey to complete their Diploma in Business Management. This initiative aims to help our delivery partners enhance the skills and qualifications they need to advance their careers.
In recognition of the importance of language proficiency, foodpanda has taken proactive steps to empower its riders with short English courses. Called ‘Panda Purpose,’ these courses are designed to enhance the English literacy skills of delivery partners, ultimately increasing their job delivery capabilities and employability. This commitment to language education and skills development underscores foodpanda’s dedication to its workforce as well as the quality of service it provides to its customers
Hopes for Gig Workers in Budget 2024
While foodpanda and many of our fellow platform operators have taken proactive steps in providing upskilling opportunities for our delivery partners, we can certainly do more with assistance from the Government. In line with the upcoming Budget to be tabled in Parliament on Oct 13, we hope that this will be a priority in ensuring that gig workers are given every opportunity to upskill and reskill themselves.
Furthermore, we anticipate and expect improved access to motorcycle loans for the B40 community, aiming to alleviate their financial burdens and for telco companies and 5G service providers to consider reducing pricing for riders and merchants, ensuring better connectivity for all.
P-Hailing Professionals as Pillars of Reliability
In this industry, riders constantly face challenges, and they respond well with solutions that improve the way things work. These riders are quick thinkers and always prioritise the customers. For instance, many riders share their tips among themselves to purchase marker pens and cling film to make sure orders are accurately written and the meals and drinks are delivered intact. This teamwork is key to successful deliveries. Merchants count on riders as a vital extension of their service, and their ability to work well together is a skill they’ve honed over time.
Although foodpanda and many other platform providers rely on cutting-edge data technology and understanding customer behaviour with surgical precision, it is our delivery partners who will ensure that every order will be an enjoyable experience for our customers. Exceptional customer service is a cornerstone of their work. They handle inquiries, resolve issues, and often go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.
The gig economy, including p-hailing, is known for its ever-changing landscape. Whether it’s adapting to new routes, technologies, or customer preferences, these riders are always on their toes. They embrace change and adaptability as part of their daily routine. The ability to pivot in response to evolving circumstances is a skill the riders continually refine.
P-hailing workers are the backbone of modern food and goods delivery services, proving to be indispensable during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring access to essential items and enhancing the quality of life for many. Additionally, the gig economy provides crucial income opportunities for various individuals seeking flexible work arrangements, promoting financial stability and independence.
A career in p-hailing encompasses a rich tapestry of skills and qualities that profoundly impact our daily lives. These professionals are not just delivery partners but problem solvers, team players, customer service champions, and adaptable individuals in our society. It’s time we celebrate and honour their contributions to our society and economy while giving them the opportunity to thrive.
[1] Chapter 3, Macroeconomic Outlook, Ministry of Finance
With the world struggling to find the balance between working remotely and in the office, hybrid work is emerging as the way of the future. However, organizations and enterprises are finding solutions to empower collaboration and push productivity further. According to a report by Jabra, a staggering 80% of meetings now happen either fully remotely or in a hybrid fashion. Yet, 37% of employees often feel excluded during these hybrid meetings. This highlights the challenges that accompany the transition to hybrid work arrangements.
To help with this conundrum, Jabra has introduced the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System (VBS). This system is now coming to Malaysia, as part of its PanaCast 50 solution portfolio designed for small to medium-sized meeting rooms.
The PanaCast 50 Video Bar System: Your Ultimate Meeting Companion
The Jabra PanaCast 50 Video Bar System is a comprehensive solution that includes an Android-based compute unit, state-of-the-art System-on-a-Chip (SoC), speakers, microphones, a video camera, and interfaces for network and display, ensuring a hassle-free setup.
One of the standout features is its 10.1-inch touch controller that allows users to manage their meeting experience with a few taps before diving into important discussions. The system, built on top of Android, seamlessly runs Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms. It also supports most major conferencing platforms.
The PanaCast 50 differentiates itself with an immersive meeting experience. It comes equipped with a Panoramic 4K multi-camera that offers a 180° field-of-view. The system can do this thanks to the onboard AI which stitches the images from the three camera sensors to create lifelike representations of all meeting attendees in the room.
The system boasts four powerful speakers in a zero-vibration stereo setup to help with crystal-clear audio quality. This is further complemented by a total of eight professional-grade microphones featuring voice detection and intelligent algorithms that help tune out residual noise.
The PanaCast 50 also offers Intelligent Meeting Room Experiences, which include the Virtual Director, Intelligent Zoom, and Dynamic Composition. These features engage remote participants, enhancing the overall meeting experience. It even comes with an AI-powered feature set that allows the system to highlight and focus on people presenting and speaking even in crowded meeting rooms.
Pricing and Availability
The PanaCast 50 Video Bar System is now available in Malaysia for RM26,070.00.
It seems like Generative AI isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is bringing a whole suite of Generative AI innovations to its services stack. These innovations are set to empower organizations of all sizes, enabling them to develop cutting-edge generative AI applications, enhance employee productivity, and transform their businesses.
Amazon Bedrock Lays the Foundations for Wider Generative AI Applications & Adoption
Leading the charge is Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed service that simplifies the development of generative AI applications. This service offers a variety of foundation models (FMs) from top AI companies, such as AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Cohere, Meta, Stability AI, and Amazon. These FMs are versatile and can be applied to a wide range of use cases, from content creation to drug discovery.
One key challenge for businesses interested in adopting generative AI has been finding the right FM for their specific needs. Amazon Bedrock solves this problem by providing access to a diverse selection of FMs via a single application programming interface (API). It also removes the need for specialised hardware deployments. This streamlines the process and eliminates the complexity of managing multiple models and infrastructures.
Unlocking the Power of Generative AI Through Amazon Titan Embeddings
One of the highlights is the general availability of Amazon Titan Embeddings. This family of models, created and pre-trained by AWS, includes a large language model (LLM) known as Amazon Titan Embeddings. This LLM converts text into numerical representations called embeddings, which are crucial for tasks like search, personalization, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
What sets Amazon Titan Embeddings apart is its ability to support more than 25 languages and handle context lengths of up to 8,192 tokens. This makes it highly versatile and suitable for various applications, from processing single words to entire documents. Its output vectors, boasting 1,536 dimensions, ensure both accuracy and low-latency performance.
Integration with Meta’s Llama 2
In the coming weeks, Amazon Bedrock will also offer Llama 2, Meta’s latest large language model. Llama 2 models come with significant enhancements, having been trained on 40% more data and featuring a longer context length of 4,000 tokens. These improvements make Llama 2 ideal for dialogue-based applications, providing fast responses on AWS infrastructure without the need for complex setup and management.
Securely Customise Amazon CodeWhisperer Suggestions with Your Own Codebase
For developers, Amazon CodeWhisperer has been a game-changer. This AI-powered coding companion is trained on billions of lines of Amazon and publicly available code, making it a valuable tool for improving developer productivity. Now, developers can securely customize CodeWhisperer’s code suggestions using their private codebase, addressing the challenges of working with internal, proprietary code.
This customization capability streamlines the process of finding and incorporating internal code into applications. Developers save time, as they no longer need to manually search through extensive internal code repositories. Additionally, administrators can centrally manage customizations, ensuring adherence to quality and security standards.
Generative Business Intelligence with Amazon QuickSight
Amazon QuickSight, a unified business intelligence (BI) service, is introducing Generative BI authoring capabilities. These capabilities go beyond answering structured queries and allow business analysts to easily create and customize visuals using natural-language commands. Analysts can describe their desired outcome, and QuickSight generates compelling visuals, reducing the time spent on manual tasks like data source identification and visualization creation.
Availability
Amazon Bedrock is now generally available, offering businesses the opportunity to leverage the power of generative AI. Amazon Titan Embeddings is also available, while Llama 2 is set to launch in the next few weeks. Customizations for Amazon CodeWhisperer are coming soon while Generative BI authoring capabilities in Amazon QuickSight are already available on AWS.
Cisco has announced that it is discontinuing its HyperFlex hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) product family, effective March 12, 2024. The company cited evolving customer needs and market dynamics as the reason for the decision.
Cisco HyperFlex HCI combines data centre elements, including storage, compute, networking, and management, into a single unified system. It has been a popular choice for organizations of all sizes, offering a simplified and scalable way to manage their IT infrastructure.
However, in recent years, there has been an increasing number of companies shifting towards hybrid and multi-cloud computing which requires more flexible or scalable solutions. This has led to a decline in demand for traditional on-premises HCI solutions, such as Cisco HyperFlex.
Source: Cisco
In response to this trend, Cisco has decided to focus its efforts on developing and supporting hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. The company has recently announced a strategic partnership with Nutanix to offer a complete hyperconverged solution for IT modernization and business transformation.
Cisco has assured existing HyperFlex customers that they will continue to provide support for the product for the next five years. The company is also offering platform migration support and services to help customers transition to other HCI solutions, such as Nutanix. Cisco also offers a Take Back and Recycle program that allows its customers to sustainably remove and dispose of obsolete products.
