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PR Newswire

China.org.cn: Regulating algorithms to protect your interests

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BEIJING, Sept. 10, 2021 — A news report by China.org.cn on China’s recent draft regulations on algorithm recommendation:

 

Here are some scenarios that most people are familiar with: Searching for products on a shopping app leads to relevant ads "magically appearing" on your social media. Or when watching short videos on your phone, you may find that they are just to your taste and you just cannot stop.

The recommendation algorithms that can "read your mind" actually expose acute problems such as privacy leaks and data security. In response, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) released the draft Regulations on the Management of Internet Information Service Recommendation Algorithms to solicit opinions from the public. The regulations include 30 points, covering rules such as those to protect minors and provide users the option to turn off recommendation services.

Nowadays, science and technology provides people with an unprecedented wealth of information and experiences. However, its unchecked and chaotic development could cause great harm. A majority of recommendations are harmless enough. But people often hear news about teenagers, who lack a mature worldview and outlook on life and values, getting injured while imitating what they see in popular short videos. If content containing smoking and drinking, violence, and distorted values are repeatedly recommended, then copied by minors, it will also result in particularly adverse consequences.

Interest-based recommendation algorithms can easily lead to users being "cocooned" and limiting their access to other information. Therefore, it’s vital to give users more choice. Lots of recommendation algorithms can induce users with a variety of content in diverse forms, ranging from product advertisements to material influencing people’s political opinions. For instance, Facebook and Google were previously accused of intensifying political polarization. If algorithms are used for improper competition, what people see and think will become presumptions of the "manipulators", which runs counter to the ideals of fairness and justice.

Nowadays, information and data security affect every aspect of everyday lives and are essential to everyone. Thus, it’s imperative that these algorithms are regulated, as is the case in every other country. On Sept. 1, the Data Security Law officially came into effect in China, aiming to better safeguard data security as well as the legal rights and interests of citizens and organizations.

In the internet age, privacy and data security issues know no borders, and so China has taken steps to explore the protection of data security. There are enough reasons to believe that a safer and more objective cyberspace can be created through the consultation and cooperation between China and the rest of the world.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm
Regulating algorithms to protect your interests
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-09/10/content_77745095.htm

PR Newswire

‘Live Revival’ Sees Fitness Fans Flock Back to Facilities, Finds New Les Mills Report

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Les Mills 2021 Global Fitness Report spotlights how the world will work out post-pandemic, with live workouts and "Omnichannel Fitness" tipped to prevail.

LONDON, Sept. 7, 2021 —

Key findings:

  • Gyms worldwide making strong recoveries, with class attendances at 120% of pre-COVID levels in markets where restrictions have lifted.
  • Two-thirds of gym members prefer working out with others as opposed to alone, with live fitness classes cited as the most popular offering at the gym.
  • Live classes at the gym are more than twice as appealing as livestream options at home, with live Instructors and "the energy of the group" both key factors.
  • But COVID legacy will live on, with 80% of gym members planning to continue using digital workouts post-pandemic in addition to live workouts.
Despite fears the COVID-inspired home fitness boom would spell the end for fitness facilities, the report finds gyms worldwide making strong recoveries since reopening.
Despite fears the COVID-inspired home fitness boom would spell the end for fitness facilities, the report finds gyms worldwide making strong recoveries since reopening.

Gyms around the world are set for a roaring recovery as they emerge from the pandemic, with fitness fans eager to get back to live workouts with friends.

That’s according to a major new report that charts a global ‘live revival’, with fitness fans flocking to facilities for greater motivation and social connection after months of solitary home workouts.

The Les Mills 2021 Global Fitness Report – which features insights from 12,157 consumers across five continents – explores how the pandemic has changed our fitness habits and spotlights the trends that will shape our workouts in years to come.

Despite fears the COVID-inspired home fitness boom would spell the end for fitness facilities, research suggests the majority of members are rushing back to their gym. The report finds gyms worldwide making strong recoveries since reopening, with class occupancy at 120% of pre-COVID levels in markets where capacity restrictions have lifted.

After a year of enforced home workouts, appetite for live fitness experiences in groups is soaring, with 85% of gymgoers interested in trying live classes in their facility.

Two-thirds of gym members (67%) say they prefer working out in groups, while live classes in gyms are nearly twice as popular as online classes that are livestreamed (done by 44% of members vs 23%).

Rockstar Instructors are identified as the single most important factor for gymgoers when choosing a live class, favored by 28%, ahead of the quality of music (24%) and type of class (21%). Quality Instructors are cited as a key component of the live revival, meeting strong consumer demand for added motivation and deeper connection in their workouts.

"After months of being stuck at home, people can’t wait to get back to fitness facilities and enjoy their favorite workouts with familiar faces," says Phillip Mills, Les Mills Founder and Executive Director.

"Much like bars, restaurants, and sports events, fitness is experiencing a real ‘live revival’, as people make up for lost time with a renewed appreciation for real-world social settings.

"Many people have missed the thrill of a busy class led by a rockstar Instructor, and the extra motivation from working out with others.

"But that doesn’t mean home workouts will disappear as we emerge from the pandemic. The digital fitness boom and the growth of home working mean consumers are taking an omnichannel approach to their training, mixing thrilling live workouts at the gym with the convenience of digital workouts at home."

The impact of the pandemic on the fitness landscape is evident throughout the report. The digital fitness boom looks set to last, with 80% of gym members planning to continue using digital workouts post-pandemic.

‘Omnichannel Fitness’ – a blend of in-gym and digital home workouts – is tipped to gain traction as we emerge from the pandemic, with the majority of exercisers (59%) favoring a 60:40 split between gym and home workouts.

Access the full report: https://www.lesmills.com/global-fitness-report/

Media requests: press@lesmills.com

About Les Mills

Les Mills is the global leader in group fitness and creator of 20 programs including BODYPUMP™ and BODYCOMBAT™. Les Mills workouts are delivered by 140,000 certified instructors in 21,000 gyms across 100 countries, as well as via the LES MILLS™ On Demand streaming platform. The company was founded by Les Mills – a four-time Olympian and head coach of New Zealand’s track and field team – who opened his first gym in 1968 to bring elite sports training to the masses.

 

PR Newswire

“Home Funding” is the least considered among retirement and education, but prepared cost is highest, averagely 21.19 million JPY in Japan

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TOKYO, Sept. 7, 2021 — A result of survey was announced by one stop real estate platform service "RENOSY" provided by GA technologies Co.,Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato City, Tokyo; CEO: Ryo Higuchi; Securities Code: 3491; "the Company") regarding "Financial Assets Plans & Housing" among families with annual income of more than 10million JPY with children under schooling age living in major districts of Tokyo.

According to the research, "home funding" is the least considered among "retirement fund" and "educational fund", although these funds together are said to be the 3 major funds in life in Japan. "Lack of adequate knowledge regarding this field" is the answer that has being most frequently answered as the reason. On the other hand, however, home funding costs the most among the 3 major funds when it comes to preparation. People who are planning about spending on real estate usually see it as an investment for oneself and tend to pay more attention to the market price of the real estate property itself and the timing for sell.

Along with the research result, we are looking for providing a more sophisticated service that integrates online and offline elements together for a more elaborate customer service of RENOSY. We want to make experience regarding real estate less complicated by solving all kinds of issues and concerns customer may have (*2).

Research on Attitudes of Asset Building and Housing in JAPAN
Research on Attitudes of Asset Building and Housing in JAPAN

[ Result Summary ]
1."Home funding" is the least considered among the 3 major funds in a person‘s life
2."Lack of adequate knowledge" is the most frequented given answer as a reason
3."Home funding" average preparation fund cost is 21.19 million JPY
4.People who are planning to spending on housing, tend to pay more attention to its market value as an investment and the timing for sell

Outline of the research

Research period: July 19, 2021 – July 21, 2021
Research method: Online questionnaire
Research target: families with annual income of more than 10million JPY with children under schooling age living in major districts of Tokyo. / Both male and female / Age 25 – 45 / Total 550 people

Details

1. "Home funding" is the least considered among the 3 major funds in a person‘s life

"Retirement", "education", "home" funds are said to be the 3 major funds in life.  While more than half of the people being researched answered positively of making plans about "retirement" and "educational "funds. However, there are 27.1% answered with "No plan" when it comes to "home". Together with the people who answered with "Considered, however have not taking any initiative yet" which accounts for 40% of the total.


2. "Lack of adequate knowledge" is the most frequented given answer as a reason

The reason that has been given most frequently of why people tend to skip the planning for home funding, is because of "Lack of sufficient knowledge" which accounts for 27%, followed by "Having savings in the bank is enough for me" which is 22.3%. Other reasons such as "Already own a real estate property", "Already have a plan for housing loan", "No further plan for buying a new house" etc. are also given.

3. "Home funding" average preparation fund cost is 21.19 million JPY

When being asked about the specific amount of fund prepared for housing among people who answered positively, the number rounded up with an average of 21.19 million JPY which is also the highest among the 3 categories.


4. People who are planning to spending on housing, tend to pay more attention to its market value as an investment and the timing for sell

From the result of the research, people who are planning about buying a house of their own tend to view the property as an investment and showing higher interests in the price value of the property and the timing for sell compared to those who are not making any plans regarding purchasing a house.

(4-1) When being asked about "Whether if you prefer to be able to keep up with the assessment information about your owned property (*3)?" 62.5% of people who are making financial plans for housing answered, "Very much", "Do think about that" compared to 32.6% of people who do not have any plans regarding purchasing a house.

(4-2) When it comes to the question where "Are you interested in using AI to do a simulation of the assessment on the property you currently owned (*3)?" 61% of people who are making financial plans for housing answered, "Very much", "Do think about that" compared to 30.5% of people who do not have any plans regarding purchasing a house.

(4-3) While when being asked about "Are you interested in selling the property you owned(*3) with a price other than the one being calculated and suggested by AI simulation?" 40.1% of people who are making financial plans for housing answered, "Very much", "Do think about that" compared to 17.4% of people who do not have any plans regarding purchasing a house.

(*1) The so called 3 major funds in a person’s life is as followed: "Home funding", "Retirement fund" and "Educational fund"

(*2) Related press release: RENOSY: Checking up your property’s market price by AI assessment and more on RENOSY (https://www.ga-tech.co.jp/news/10067/)

(*3) Property purchased not by oneself also included

About RENOSY OWNER‘S MY PAGE
This is an exclusive service for RENOSY members (Memberships are FREE). By applying AI technology, we make all the information such as " estimated market price", "estimated price for rent" and the fluctuations visualizable. Users who are planning about selling or renting the property could access the information on "OWNER’S MY PAGE". On the other hand, for those of whom are interested in real estate investment can check up the latest updates about live streaming announcements about assets management and property investment as well as scheduling appointments with our agents. We offer our customers the most useful information that suits with one’s needs and condition.

About RENOSY
RENOSY is a comprehensive one-stop real estate platform provided by GA technologies under the concept of "making house hunting and assets management easier". With the business vision of "inspiring the world with the power of technology and innovation". The purpose of RENOSY is to make everything about real estate easier for consumers in the field of "rent", "buy", "sell", "lease", "renovate" or "invest", and we provide these services in one-stop. Currently, we have about 20,0000 registered members, and more than 15,0000 existing properties in the center of Tokyo available on our website. GA technologies is working on helping to accelerate the digital transformation of the industry, and to provide a better customer experience through both online and offline.
– Data of the number of RENOSY members: by June 2021 / Data of the number of properties available on the website: by October,2021

About GA technologies
Company: GA technologies Co., Ltd.
Representative: Ryo Higuchi
URL: https://www.ga-tech.co.jp/en/ 
Head office: 40F of Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower, Roppongi 3-2-1, Minato District, Tokyo
Year of founding: March 2013
Capital fund: 72,859,98310 JPY (As of July 2021)
Services:

  • PropTech real estate services platform: RENOSY (Portal media, Real estate agent service, real estate dealing, renovation service, property management)
  • SaaS type of BtoB PropTech products development
  • Data research and analysis using AI
  • Overseas real estate platform service targets at the Greater China area: Shenjumiausuan, overseas PropTech business

Major group companies: ITANDI, Inc, Modern Standard Co, Ltd., Shenjumiausuan Co.,Ltd and other 8 companies

PR Newswire

KIIT Dominates in World Ranking of Universities

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Achieves No. 1 Position in Odisha & Eastern India

BHUBANESWAR, India, Sept. 3, 2021 — In an impressive achievement, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed University, Bhubaneswar jumped up 200 positions globally to be placed in the cohort of 801 – 1000 in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022, announced on 2nd September 2021. It is a significant improvement from last year when it had achieved a rank of 1001+. KIIT’s performance makes it the No. 1 ranked university in Odisha and Eastern India.

Campus 1
Campus 1

While KIIT, NIT Rourkela, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) share the same rank in this coveted and most-referred annual ranking of the global higher education institutions, IIT Bhubaneswar and Manipal Academy of Higher Education have been ranked 1000+. SRM Institute of Science and Technology has slipped to 1200+ rank, compared to its position last year. As a young university of only 17 years, KIIT’s performance is better than any other university in the country. It has also been achieving impressive positions in the rankings conducted by various Government bodies. 

Expressing happiness over the development, Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS credited combined efforts by students and staff for the achievement. "KIIT’s performance in the rankings is significant as it is a multi-disciplinary university with as many as 28 faculties. Had it been an institution offering only Engineering courses, it would have achieved much higher ranking," he said. KIIT’s consistent outstanding performance in global and national rankings is only due to the vision of its Founder, said elated KIIT staff. 

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings by Times Higher Education (THE). It is the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions. Rankings parameters include teaching, research, citations, industry income, international outlook as well as number of students, number of students per staff, international students and male and female student ratio. The rankings are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments all over the world. 

Media Contact:
Shradhanjali Nayak
shradhanjali@kiit.ac.in

Campus 2
Campus 2

 

PR Newswire

Mobileum Named Sample Vendor in 2021 Gartner ® Hype Cycle™ reports titled, “Hype Cycle for Privacy, 2021” and “Hype Cycle for the Future of CSP Network Infrastructure”

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5G Network Security mentioned as a Key Technology as report states, "Securing 5G networks is a priority for CSPs and enterprises as the rise of private deployments, vertical applications, cloud architecture and massive IoT connections in 5G creates new vulnerabilities and challenges, such as potential DDoS attack vectors and entry points. "

CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 1, 2021 — Mobileum Inc. ("Mobileum"), a leading global provider of analytics solutions for roaming and network services, security, risk management, testing, and monitoring, is pleased to announce that it has been named a Sample Vendor in the 2021 Gartner reports titled,  "Hype Cycle for Privacy, 2021" [1] and "Hype Cycle for the Future of CSP Network Infrastructure, 2021"[2]. Mobileum is named in the 5G network security category.

According to Gartner, "securing 5G networks is a priority for CSPs and enterprises as the rise of private deployments, vertical applications, cloud architecture and massive IoT connections in 5G creates new vulnerabilities and challenges, such as potential DDoS attack vectors and entry points".What’s more, "security and risk management leaders managing technology, information and resilience risk consider privacy a top priority". Gartner estimates that, " By year-end 2023, 75% of the world’s population will have its personal data covered under modern privacy regulations, up from 25% today".[1]

"For CSPs to monetize more demanding 5G use cases, such as smart cities, they will need to guarantee security levels. This will require true end-to-end 5G network security spanning the core network, network slices, edge, and through to enhanced subscriber identity protection. We consider that being named by Gartner as a Sample Vendor for 5G network security category reinforces Mobileum market leadership position in telecom security and risk management space," stated Avnish Chauhan, CTO at Mobileum.

Mobileum’s Active Intelligence platform is a leading telecom-focused analytics technology that supports roaming, network services, security, risk management, and testing.  Mobileum’s network security product portfolio provides CSPs with end-to-end security and protection for 5G networks, services, and subscribers. Mobileum’s solutions enable secure interconnect between 5G networks, while ensuring backward compatibility across 5G, 4G, 3G, 2G MNO networks. The Active Intelligence platform ensures 5G network security with cross-protocol powered signaling firewalls, including SS7, GTP, Diameter, and SIP firewalls. Backed by Mobileum’s advanced analytics, penetration testing, SMS Spam Protect, and traffic anomaly detection, CSPs can detect threats before they happen, enabling them to deliver secure IoT connections, meet the higher security requirements for network slicing, and deliver 5G security demands needed for guaranteed QoS and QoE.

Sources (available to Gartner subscribers):

[1] Gartner, Hype Cycle for Privacy, 2021, Bart Willemsen, 13 July 2021.

[2] Gartner, Hype Cycle for the Future of CSP Networks Infrastructure, 2021, Sylvain Fabre, 12 July 2021. 

Gartner Disclaimer

GARTNER and HYPE CYCLE are a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be constructed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Mobileum Inc.

Mobileum is a leading provider of Telecom analytics solutions for roaming, core network, security, risk management, domestic and international connectivity testing, and customer intelligence. More than 1,000 customers rely on its Active Intelligence platform, which provides advanced analytics solutions, allowing customers to connect deep network and operational intelligence with real-time actions that increase revenue, improve customer experience and reduce costs.  Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Mobileum has global offices in Australia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Greece, India, Portugal, Singapore, and UK.

More in www.mobileum.com and follow @MobileumInc on Twitter. 

Learn more in https://www.mobileum.com/  and follow @MobileumInc on Twitter 

Useful Contacts:

QUEXOR GROUP INC.

Barbara Henris | bhenris@quexor.com | Mob.: +1 (703) 470-9446

Media and Corporate Communications – Mobileum

Sandra Almeida  | sandra.almeida@mobileum.com | Mob. +351 939650229

Product Management and Analyst Relations – Mobileum

Carlos Marques | Carlos.Marques@mobileum.com | Mob. +351 939650124

PR Newswire

CGTN: How will China, a unified multi-ethnic country, address ethnic affairs in new era?

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BEIJING, Aug. 30, 2021 — An unequivocal message concerning China’s ethnic affairs has been conveyed at a two-day meeting that concluded Saturday, as China, a unified multi-ethnic country, embarked on a new journey to fully build itself into a modern socialist country.

 

Forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation must be the focus of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) work on ethnic affairs in the new era, said President Xi Jinping while addressing the central conference on ethnic affairs.

The central conference on ethnic affairs, held in Beijing on Friday and Saturday, was the fifth conference of its kind since China’s reform and opening-up, following those in 1992, 1999, 2005 and 2014.

Consolidating sense of community for the Chinese nation in new era

Summarizing past experience, Xi said the CPC’s work on ethnic affairs should serve the goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and efforts should be made to enhance ethnic unity and promote common prosperity among all ethnic groups. He also underscored the importance of safeguarding China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, calling for efforts to strengthen patriotism among all ethnic groups.

Consolidating the sense of community for the Chinese nation is necessary for protecting the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups, realizing national rejuvenation, and developing socialist ethnic relations characterized by equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony, he said at Saturday’s meeting.

The sense of community for the Chinese nation is not a new notion. It was put forward by Xi at the second central work conference on Xinjiang in May 2014. He once again highlighted the importance of laying a solid foundation for the sense of community for the Chinese nation at the central conference on ethnic affairs held in September 2014. The idea was enshrined in the Party’s Constitution at the 19th CPC National Congress in October 2017.

Xi called for innovation and development in CPC’s work on ethnic affairs so as to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic groups. An important principle is to enhance commonalities while respecting and tolerating differences, he said on Saturday.

All ethnic groups should prioritize the interests of the Chinese nation, and the sense of each ethnic group should be subordinated to and serve the sense of community for the Chinese nation, he stressed. In the meanwhile, the specific interests of each ethnic group should be well addressed in the process of realizing the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, he added.

Xi called for efforts to accelerate socialist modernization among all ethnic groups. Differentiated policies should be made to support the reform and opening-up in ethnic minority regions, he said. The sense of gain, happiness and security should be enhanced for people of all ethnic groups, he stressed.

Exchanges and integration among ethnic groups should be encouraged, he said. Measures should be taken to create an environment where people of different ethnic groups can embed themselves spatially, economically, socially and psychologically, he said.

Xi stressed the importance of preventing major risks related to ethnic affairs. Ideological issues that involve ethnic elements should be handled actively and properly, he said, adding that continuous efforts are needed to eradicate separatist and extremist ideas. He also called for strengthening international cooperation in fighting terrorism.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-08-28/Xi-stresses-high-quality-development-of-Party-s-work-on-ethnic-affairs-1364xXfhBK0/index.html

Related Links :

http://www.cgtn.com

PR Newswire

China.org.cn: China’s space station: Warm, open new home in outer space

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BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2021 — A news report by China.org.cn on China’s space station and astronauts in space:

 

Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, dubbed the "trio who traveled to space on business," have been living and working on China’s space station core module Tianhe for more than two months. Recently, they carried out extravehicular activities for a second time. Look at Nie standing on the robotic arm against the backdrop of the earth. What a breathtaking scene.

During their time in space, the crew have experienced many other unforgettable moments.

The first thing the three astronauts did after arriving at Tianhe on June 17 was to start opening packages. Back in May, the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-2 was launched ahead of the crewed mission, delivering more than six tons of goods and materials to the space station. The more than 160 packages contained not only various parts and equipment to be installed and tested, but also the basic supplies for the astronauts.

These included more than 120 kinds of space food carefully prepared by nutritionists. In the module, the astronauts enjoyed various dishes, teas, juices and more, adding to the joy of "earth-dwellers" below. In addition, the crew work as each other’s health care assistants, regularly taking blood samples and conducting tests as well as routine ultrasounds. They exercise on the space station’s specially designed treadmill and exercise bike to keep fit in a microgravity environment. The friendly astronauts also interact with netizens on earth from time to time: Posting a video after watching the Tokyo Olympic Games, or sending wishes on "Chinese Valentine’s Day," — really made known their presence in space.

These seemingly trivial things and relaxing scenes are actually very meaningful and important. According to its plan, China will finish building the space station in 2022. This manned mission aims to test key technologies in the construction and operation of the station in orbit, including bioregenerative life support systems, and technologies for supporting astronauts’ long-term stay and conducting extravehicular activities.

Moreover, since the International Space Station, which has been in orbit for decades, could be retired as early as 2024 or possibly in 2028, construction of China’s station becomes even more significant.

Sometimes people hear arguments that treat space exploration as a "competition of interests" or "more political than scientific." However, astronauts from different countries live and work in space, showing their appreciation and empathy for each other, such scenes are touching — humans are born with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, and the vast universe carries the hopes and dreams of all mankind. After all, space is open to all. Space exploration should not and cannot exclude anyone.

Previously, to board the Chinese space station, astronauts from Germany, France, Italy and other countries worked hard learning Chinese and came to China for training, eating and living with Chinese astronauts like family. Nine projects from 17 countries, including Switzerland, Poland, Kenya and Japan, have also been approved to conduct experiments on the Chinese space station. More people could be expected to visit the new China-made home in outer space, where they can work together to seek a better future.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm
China’s space station: Warm, open new home in outer space
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-08/27/content_77718318.htm

PR Newswire

China Finance Online Announces Changes to the Board of Directors

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BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2021 — China Finance Online Co. Limited ("China Finance Online," or the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") (Nasdaq GS: JRJC), a leading web-based financial services company that provides Chinese individual investors with fintech-powered online access to securities trading services, wealth management products, securities investment advisory services, as well as financial database and analytics services to institutional customers, today announced the following changes to the board of directors of the Company (the "Board").

The Board has approved the appointments of Ms. Ying Zhu, Mr. Frank J. Mitsch and Mr. Haimin Xu as directors of the Company, effective as of August 27, 2021. Each of Mr. Zhiwei Zhao and Mr. Yaowei Zhang has resigned as a director of the Company, effective as of August 23, 2021, and August 20, 2021, respectively. The Board has also elected Dr. Z. James Chen as the Chairman of the Board, effective as of August 27, 2021.

Ms. Ying Zhu has been serving as our Chief Financial Officer since May 2021. She joined our Company in July 2010 and has served as our Director of Investor Relations, Director of Strategy, Assistant to the Chairman, Head of President’s Office and the Acting Chief Financial Officer. She also serves as Vice President of Rifa Securities Limited in Hong Kong. Ms. Zhu obtained her Master of Law and Bachelor of Economics degrees majoring in Finance from International Business School of Beijing Language and Culture University. Ms. Zhu has been awarded HKSI Institute Specialist Certificates on Securities, Futures and Asset Management.

Each of Mr. Frank J. Mitsch and Mr. Haimin Xu has been appointed as an independent director of the Board and will serve as members of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, respectively.

Mr. Frank J. Mitsch co-founded and is currently the President of Fermium Research following seven years at Wells Fargo Securities, where he was a Managing Director. Beginning his financial services career with Merrill Lynch, Mr. Mitsch has over 20 years of experience in the industry, including BB&T Capital Markets and JP Morgan H&Q. He’s a member of the 2017 and 2018 Institutional Investor’s All-America Research Team and received the Top Gun designation from Brendan Wood Intl in 2020. Mr. Mitsch has also been named four times in The Wall Street Journal’s Best on the Street analyst survey for stock selection. Frank received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and an MBA in Finance from Montclair State University.

Mr. Xu Haimin is a partner of Cybernaut Investment Group. He has worked in China Ministry of Aerospace, PricewaterhouseCoopers China, as Financial Management Consultant, and China United Assets Appraisal Group as Vice General Manager. He graduated from Nankai University with a bachelor’s degree and from School of Economics at Peking University with a Master’s degree.

The Board is thankful for Mr. Zhiwei Zhao and Mr. Yaowei Zhang’s long-term services and significant contributions to the Company and wishes them the best in their future endeavors. The Board is confident that the Company will be able to drive its business growth under the new leadership of the Board, with the addition of Mr. Frank J. Mitsch, Mr. Haimin Xu and Ms. Ying Zhu’s valuable expertise and experience.

About China Finance Online

China Finance Online Co. Limited is a leading web-based financial services company that provides Chinese individual investors with fintech-powered online access to securities trading services, wealth management products, securities investment advisory services, as well as financial database and analytics services to institutional customers. The Company’s prominent flagship portal site, www.jrj.com, is ranked among the top financial websites in China. In addition to the web-based securities trading platform, the Company offers basic financial software, information services and securities investment advisory services to retail investors in China. Through its subsidiary, Shenzhen Genius Information Technology Co. Ltd., the Company provides financial database and analytics to institutional customers including domestic financial, research, academic and regulatory institutions. China Finance Online also provides brokerage services in Hong Kong.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained herein reflect management’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, this release contains the following forward-looking statements regarding:

  • liquidity and sources of funding, including our ability to continue operating as a going concern;
  • our prospect and our ability to attract new users;
  • our prospect on building a comprehensive wealth management ecosystem through providing a fully-integrated online communication and securities-trading platform;
  • our prospect on stabilization in cash attrition and improvement of our financial position;
  • our initiatives to address customers’ demand for intuitive online investment platforms and alternative investment opportunities; and
  • the market prospect of the business of securities-trading, securities investment advisory and wealth management.

Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, which risk factors and uncertainties include, amongst others, substantial doubt about ability to continue as a going concern, the outbreak of COVID-19 or other health epidemics in China or globally, changing customer needs, regulatory environment and market conditions that we are subject to; the uneven condition of the world and Chinese economies that could lead to volatility in the equity markets and affect our operating results in the coming quarters; the impact of the changing conditions of the mainland Chinese stock market, Hong Kong stock market and global financial markets on our future performance; the unpredictability of our strategic transformation and growth of new businesses; the prospect of our margin-related business and the degree to which our implementation of margin account screening and ongoing monitoring will yield successful outcomes; the degree to which our strategic collaborations with partners will yield successful outcomes; the prospects for China’s high-net-worth and middle-class households; the prospects of equipping our customer specialists with new technology, tools and financial knowledge; wavering investor confidence that could impact our business; and possible non-cash goodwill, intangible assets and investment impairments may adversely affect our net income. Furthermore, we have recurring losses from operation and inability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our obligation and sustain our operations and face uncertainty as to the operation impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F under "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors". The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

China Finance Online
+86-10-8336-3100
ir@jrj.com

Kevin Theiss
Awaken Advisors
(212) 521-4050
kevin@awakenlab.com

Related Links :

http://www.jrj.com

PR Newswire

Research by Universum Reveals That Young Filipino Talent Favour Employers who Offer Professional Training & Development and Respect Their People

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Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Google are seen as the most ideal employers among business and STEM talent, respectively

MANILA, Philippines, Aug. 26, 2021 — Today, Universum launches the findings from the Philippines portion of the world’s largest annual talent survey, with over 8,000 students from leading national universities in the Philippines who responded between December 2020 and June 2021. Set out to track career aspirations and preferences of the future talent pool, the Top 100 Ideal Employers student survey also recognises the most coveted employers based solely on the responses collected.

This year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has overtaken Philippine Airlines as the most attractive employer for business/commerce students, whereas Google retained its top position as the most desired employer among engineering talent.

Business students have a strong desire to work for domestic employers

The 2021 study reveals that 58% of young business/commerce talent would prefer to work for an employer founded in the Philippines. This is something that is also reflected in resulting employer rankings for business/commerce talent, with nine out of the top choices being homegrown. The banking industry remains the most preferred industry amongst business students (49% seeing it as a top choice), followed by auditing & accounting (37%) and e-commerce (33%).

Respect for its people surpass high future earnings

When asked about what they look for in an ideal employer, Filipino students report prioritising employers who offer strong professional training and development and show respect for their people. Both of these key attributes are highly associated with top performing employers Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and San Miguel Corporation.

When looking at the different markets around the world covered by Universum’s talent preference survey, it is clear that today’s students are highly drawn towards employers who demonstrate they have a social conscience, respect their people and perform well in some of the softer aspects, such as culture and working environment.

Mike Parsons, managing director APAC for Universum, said "Around the world in 2021, we have seen respect for its people trending. In the Philippines, this attribute was already important to talent but is now their second-highest priority when selecting a future employer, only behind "professional training and development". Employers who are serious about attracting the very best young talent in the Philippines need to listen to the strong message talent are sending. They also need to ensure that they not only deliver upon this but that they can articulate, both internally and externally, the respectful nature of their culture."

Overall students’ top preferences

2021

2020

1. Professional training & development

2. Respect for its people

3. A friendly work environment

1. Professional training & development

2. High future earnings

3. A friendly work environment

 

Salary expectations have increased

The study revealed that the young talent graduating in the Philippines expects, on average, an annual salary of 440,843 PHP, which represents an increase of 12% from a year before. In most regional and global markets, pay expectations have been stagnant or only increased modestly due to the tough economic conditions of the past year. Clearly, talent in the Philippines has far more optimism.

Sadly, female students expected 5% less salary than their male counterparts. However, among the students surveyed in Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan, the Philippines has the smallest gap between what the different genders expect to be paid.

Universum 2021

Students’ discipline

Ideal Employer Ranking 2021

Business/Commerce

1. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

2. Philippine Airlines

3. San Miguel Corporation

4. BDO Unibank

4. Google

Engineering

1. Google

2. San Miguel Corporation

3. Microsoft

4. Philippine Airlines

5. Ayala Land

 

About the Universum 2021 Top 100 Ideal Employer Rankings – The Philippines Edition

The results are based on the answers of 8,426 students studying for degrees in business/commerce, engineering, IT, natural sciences, humanities/liberal arts/education, law and health/medicine, with 24,786 individual evaluations of 133 employers from December 2020 and June 2021. Each respondent is asked questions about their career preferences, expectations and employment related drivers and then presented with a list of 133 national and international employers, nominated by the target group through an independent and structured nomination and assessment process, which prevents companies unfairly influencing their positions. The rankings consist of those employers chosen most as an ‘ideal’ choice when working through a structured funnel-based methodology.

About Universum

Universum, part of the StepStone Group, is a global thought leader in Employer Branding. Universum has 32 years of peerless experience in the field of employer branding and is established in over 60 markets globally. Universum has a diverse workforce is physically present in 20 countries. With so much data, historically and geographically, Universum is uniquely positioned to deliver key insights to employers about how to attract and retain their future workforce. Our data-led, human and purposeful output has attracted over 1,700 clients, including many Fortune 500 companies, as well as global media partners that publish our annual rankings and trend reports. Find out more at https://universumglobal.com/.

Related Links :

https://universumglobal.com/

PR Newswire

DFI Is Listed in CommonWealth Magazine’s 2021 “Fast 100”

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TAIPEI, Aug. 26, 2021 — The spread of the COVID-19 epidemic around the world has triggered a series of technological and financial wrestling, and restarting the growth momentum of enterprises at this moment has become an arduous challenge. CommonWealth Magazine uses 2020 revenue in the range of 100 million to 10 billion and three consecutive years of profit growth as the screening criteria. Industrial computer leader, DFI, has a revenue of NT$8.35 billion (equivalent to 300 million U.S. dollars), an annual increase of 18.8%. Due to these good results, DFI has been ranked amongst the Fast 100 in CommonWealth Magazine for two consecutive years, and ranked ninth in revenue.

CommonWealth Magazine, founded on June 1, 1981, is Taiwan’s first financial-oriented professional news magazine. In 2007, CommonWealth Magazine became the first financial news media in Taiwan to launch an English-language website. In the years since, it has presented stories of Taiwanese companies, and industries as well as Taiwan’s political, economic, and social environment to the world through comprehensive and in-depth reports while providing news with a perspective.

DFI joined the Qisda Group in 2017. In 2019, DFI acquired AEWIN to expand into the cybersecurity business, and Ace Pillar to expand diversified & comprehensive solutions, specializing in smart manufacturing, smart healthcare, and intelligent transportation systems/infrastructure. According to a research report released by TrendForce in July, in the first half of 2021, DFI ranked third with a revenue of NT$5.28 billion (equivalent to 186.7 million U.S. dollars) and a 25.2% YoY increase.

"In recent years, in response to the trend of edge computing, industrial computer products have been widely used in the field of Internet of Things and becoming an important key to accelerating the introduction of artificial intelligence technology. The industrial Internet of Things and digital healthcare are growing rapidly. With 40 years of experience and with the strength of the Qisda Group, the rapid growth has deepened the supply chain’s recognition of DFI. This allowed DFI to continue to be listed in the Fast 100 of CommonWealth Magazine," said Steven Tsai, President of DFI.

Founded in 1981, DFI is a global leading provider of high-performance computing technology across multiple embedded industries. With its innovative design and premium quality management system, DFI’s industrial-grade solutions enable customers to optimize their equipment and ensure high reliability, long-term life cycle, and 24/7 durability in a breadth of markets including factory automation, medical, gaming, transportation, smart energy, mission-critical, and intelligent retail.

Learn more about the Fast 100 of 2021 by CommonWealth Magazine:
https://storage.googleapis.com/www-cw-com-tw/ckeditor/202108/ckeditor-61249165a2e7d.pdf