Matein Khalid I came into our latest mini Black Monday with a large net short position in my global equities portfolio and thus feel vindicated, because I had warned my friends on LinkedIn (https://lnkd.in/d6Dy3rEC) to beware a post Labour Day hit on major US equities indices. In fact, I had given 10 reasons why the US stock market was primed to tank and one of these reasons […]
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 20 September 2021 – VP Bank has today announced the appointments of Alexander Tsikouras as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer Asia and Will Wang as Head of Client Solutions & Strategic Partnerships Asia in two newly-created roles which form part of the Asia Management Committee (Asia Manco) as of 24 September 2021. Aligning with VP Bank’s growth strategy in Asia, these appointments follow the recent […]
Ranking marks GBG’s inaugural participation in the distinguished list SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 September 2021 – GBG (AIM:GBG), the global expert in digital identity, helping businesses prevent fraud and meet complex compliance requirements, today announces its inaugural placement as one of the top 100 financial technology providers around the globe by IDC Financial Insights, coming in at 66th position on the 2021 IDC FinTech Rankings. […]
Matein Khalid The sheer scale of the Federal Reserve’s post-Lehman quantitative easing experiment can be gauged by the fact that its balance sheet is now $8.3 trillion or 1/3 the American GDP. In contrast, on the eve of Lehman Brothers failure on 15 Sept 2008, The Fed’s balance sheet was a mere $900 billion. Yet the Bernanke Fed’s revolutionary experiments in monetary policy applied by J. Powell […]
Ransomware remains primary threat as threat actors evolve tactics HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 15 September 2021 – Global cybersecurity leader Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) announced today that it blocked 40.9 billion email threats, malicious files, and malicious URLs for customers in the first half of 2021, a 47% year-on-year increase. To read the full report “Attacks from All Angles: 2021 […]
Highest scores possible in fourteen out of eighteen criteria include product vision, innovation roadmap, and user experience and navigation SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 15 September 2021 – Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent provider of identity, announced that the company has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Identity-As-A-Service (IDaaS) for Enterprise, Q3 2021, a report published by Forrester Research, Inc. The report evaluates eleven Identity-As-A-Service (IDaaS) for […]
James M Dorsey The Taliban’s record in recent weeks on making good on promises to respect human and women’s rights as well as uphold freedom of the press is mixed at best. Afghanistan’s neighbours and near-neighbours are not holding their breath even if some are willing to give the Central Asian country’s new rulers the benefit of the doubt. A litmus test of Taliban willingness to compromise […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 14 September 2021 – Global fintech MODIFI today announced US$24m in Series B, which brings its valuation to more than US$120m. The round was led by new investor Heliad Equity Partners with a co-investment from Neva SGR, the venture capital investment vehicle of Italy’s leading banking group Intesa San Paolo. Existing investors also participated significantly, including Global Founders Capital, Maersk Growth and Picus […]
Featuring artists such as Claudia Chanhoi, Polo Bourieau and Sophia Hotung to promote women’s health and holistic well-being. HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 10 September 2021 – The Karen Leung Foundation, the first and only registered charity dedicated to fighting gynaecological cancers in Hong Kong, are pleased to announce its second-year edition of its flagship health awareness campaign, ‘TheExtraOrdinary Exhibition.’ Unveiling to the public on 14 September, the exhibition […]
“CCG Accel – Powered by HKSTP” is a pioneering programme to help tech ventures close the critical gap between innovation and commercialisation and advance smart property and retail operations in Hong Kong HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 9 September 2021 – Chinachem Group (the Group) and Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) took another step forward in its pioneering pilot-first accelerator programme today by announcing […]
Latest Pro Series camera connects directly to Wi-Fi for even easier DIY setup with features including 2K HDR video quality and a 160-degree field of view SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 9 September 2021 – Arlo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ARLO), one of the leading internet-connected camera brands, today announced the addition to its award-winning Pro series of security cameras – the Arlo Pro 4 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera. The Pro 4 […]
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 9 September 2021 – From the standpoint of technological adaptability, Millennials are among the groups which were able to adjust the most in a brief period of time—a time that is torn and accelerated anew by paradigm shifts all over the board. The older ones (born between 1980–1993) received insights from the preceding generations and accommodated to the best of their ability: lessons […]
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 9 September 2021 – The recent report produced by the Crisis Management Centre has exposed several gaps in the critical response to those adversely impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study “Consolidated Data Analysis of Malaysia’s Kita Jaga Kita Movement” was carried out by collecting publicly available data from the three leading applications developed to facilitate direct aid […]
Matein Khalid If 2021 was an annus mirabilis for investors in US equities, Big Tech and REITs (we know who you are!). It was unquestionably an annus horribilis for China, the Big Daddy of emerging market (EM) equities. President Xi’s regulatory assault triggered a 40 to 50% blood bath in Chinese internet stocks (Didi, tera holder dewana. Hare Ram ye dictator ka zamana!) at a time when […]
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 8 September 2021 – GBG (AIM:GBG), the global expert in digital identity, helping businesses prevent fraud and meet complex compliance requirements, has announced a partnership with SEON. With this partnership, GBG strengthens online fraud prevention for banks, fintechs, and digital banks by using email, IP, phone and social media as alternative data for fraud detection, while meeting compliance and data privacy needs. SEON’s technology is fully […]
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – Apical Group, a leading agri-business processor of palm oil and member of the RGE group of companies, has secured a US$750 million sustainability-linked loan from a syndicate of lenders. This is a first for Apical, and among only a few known in the palm oil industry, where borrowing is tied to sustainability targets and performance. The loan, issued to Apical’s units […]
Matein Khalid Any investor who missed 2021’s spectacular rally in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq has really missed out on an incredible money making epoch. The S&P 500 index is up 20%. Google, which I had recommended as a strategic buy at 1715 is up 65% in 2021 alone. The index is up 68% from the March 2020 pandemic lows even as the global economy has been […]
James M Dorsey The US withdrawal from Afghanistan will likely clarify what the Gulf’s security options are. Gulf states are likely to monitor how Russia and China handle the perceived security vacuum and security threats in the wake of the US withdrawal and abandonment, for all practical matters, of Central Asia. It will tell Gulf states to what degree Russia and China may be viable alternatives for […]
The global program has selected 13 Taiwanese and 7 international startups TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 3 September 2021 – Global venture capital firm 500 Startups announced today that it has selected 20 startups to be part of the Taiwan Tech Arena (“TTA”) Accelerator Program. The program aims to impact Taiwan’s innovation ecosystem, by nurturing local and international startups that have the potential to scale regionally […]
BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach – 3 September 2021 – StashAway, an easy-to-use digital wealth management platform that provides global diversification with high-quality, low-cost ETFs, is now available to Thailand residents. StashAway is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). StashAway makes it simple for anyone to invest and build long-term wealth all through a mobile app. The platform has attracted clients from more than 160 […]
TOKYO, JAPAN – Newsaktuell – 2 September 2021 – Tokyo International Airport (HANEDA), the 4th largest airport in the world, chose the German SBD provider to equip their self-service installation with the Materna IPS One ID journey. Biometric passenger identification at Tokyo Airport Haneda Biometric passenger identification at Tokyo Airport Haneda Via 1:1 verification the passenger’s scanned government issued ID picture gets matched with the image captured at […]
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – CPA Australia and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) have collaborated to update two important resources for improving the financial literacy of Malaysian investors and businesses; “A Guide to Understanding Annual Reports: Malaysian Listed Companies” and “A Guide to Understanding Auditing and Assurance: Malaysian Listed Companies.” The two guides have been updated to reflect developments in reporting over […]
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 31 August 2021 – The upcoming Singapore Convention Week (SC Week) 2021 will bring together leaders from the legal, business and government sectors in the international dispute resolution scene. Themed ‘A World in Transition’, the global legal conference will be held virtually from 6 to 10 September 2021. Participants will discuss the latest trends and innovations in international dispute resolution amidst a […]
James M Dorsey Pakistani efforts to exploit the Taliban victory in Afghanistan threaten to reinforce ultra-conservative inclinations in Pakistan itself, the world’s second-most populous Muslim majority country, long accused of supporting militant religious groups. The notion that religious ultra-conservatism may not remain contained to Afghanistan may be one reason why US President Joe Biden decided to effectively abandon Central Asia with his withdrawal of US forces from […]
