Epicor acquires technology leader in CPQ market, helps customers sell smarter

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 -- Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software has acquired Configure Price Quote (CPQ) and visualisation software provider, KBMax.  

Based on a statement, the transaction closed on May 27. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.  

KBMax software solutions will be marketed under the Epicor brand as a stand-alone module within the company’s productivity suite, aligning seamlessly with Epicor’s deep expertise in the global manufacturing engineer-to-order space.  

The ability to offer customers a highly customisable, industry specific one-stop solution that connects the front and back of the house supports Epicor’s mission to differentiate itself from the fleet of one-size-fits all off-the-shelf ERP solutions.  

The integration of KBMax with Epicor’s ERP solutions will provide customers with a seamless connection between sales and operation data, improving demand planning and production.  

It also provides a single source of truth for the most complex engineer-to-order projects delivering faster and more accurate sales quotes, fewer order mistakes and improved sales rep productivity.  

KBMax has transformed the buying experience for over 20,000 users and its CPQ software has delivered customers measurable improvements, on average a 168 per cent increase in annual sales revenues, 38 per cent faster sales cycle and a 35 per cent increase in productivity.  

-- BERNAMA  

GMAC WELCOMES TOP LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS SCHOOL AS ITS NEWEST MEMBER

EGADE Business School brings diversity and prestige to the Council

RESTON, Va., May 28 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) today announced that EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey has become the Council’s latest member. Located in Mexico, the EGADE Business School is selected for its world-class programs and international recognition in and beyond Latin America, adding great representation of the region to the global association that constitutes 229 top business schools around the world.

“EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey has built a globally recognized reputation as the leading Latin American business education institution, committed to empowering entrepreneurial leaders who create shared value and transform society,” said Dr. Osmar Zavaleta, interim dean of EGADE Business School. “EGADE is committed to the exchange of ideas and best practices with our global peers and GMAC membership provides a valuable platform for enhancing that exchange other GMAC member schools”.  

“The pandemic has taught us to be innovative and adaptive in a disruptive environment of an interconnected world,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. “We value the global vision and holistic approach that EGADE Business School brings and look forward to their contributions to the advancement of graduate management education.” 

EGADE Business Schools is among a select group of institutions internationally to hold the “triple-crown” of excellence from the three leading global accreditation systems for business education quality assessment and continuous improvement: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Association of MBAs (AMBA), and EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). For the fourth consecutive year in 2021, EGADE Business School topped the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking in Mexico and Latin America for its Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Master in Finance programs and appears for the first time as the regional leader for its recently introduced Masters in Management.

To be considered for membership in GMAC, a school must maintain a selective admissions process; offer a master’s program in business administration, management subjects or equivalent; and demonstrate support of GMAC’s mission through the use of its products and services.

About GMAC™

The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, GMAC creates solutions and experiences that enable business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate, and connect with each other. 

GMAC™ provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as tools, resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

GMAC™ also owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC™ (NMAT™) exam and the Executive Assessment (EA). More than 7 million candidates on their business master's or MBA journey visited GMAC’s mba.com last year to explore business school options, prepare and register for exams, and get advice on the admissions process. BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC™, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

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REGTECH PROVIDER NAPIER STRENGTHENS FOOTHOLD IN APAC

LONDON, May 28 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Napier, provider of next-generation anti-financial crime compliance solutions, has continued its aggressive global expansion by opening a second APAC office within 10 months.

Adding a Kuala Lumpur presence to the Singapore base established last year, the London-headquartered company also announces senior leadership appointments to further strengthen its foothold in APAC. Wall Street and Silicon Valley alumni Robin Lee takes over as Head of APAC while Hwee Kun Ho, formerly of Salesforce, Refinitiv and Dow Jones, steps in as APAC Head of Sales.

Napier, which works with financial organisations worldwide to provide an AI-led platform for intelligent AML & trade compliance, doubled its annual revenue in 2020 adding a significant number of new clients to its platform globally. It continues to grow an impressive roster of clients in APAC, recently announcing significant deals with Australia Post and a number of other major financial institutions.

Napier was also recently recognised with a prestigious award win for Best AML/CTF Solution in the Regulation Asia Awards for Excellence 2020.

Greg Watson, Chief Operating Officer at Napier, said: “Financial criminals are sophisticated and the fight is a global one, so we’re constantly looking at ways to evolve as a business. This means leading the way in terms of offering the most advanced technology, and also having a presence in global financial hubs around the world to be as close to the action as possible.

“Increasing our footprint in APAC is part of this global strategy to enable us to better serve our customers that operate locally and across international markets.”

Napier also has presence in the UK, USA, Australia and Dubai. It aims to continue its growth in 2021 and recently appointed former HSBC Group COO and BCG Global Banking Chair, Andy Maguire, to its Advisory Board. Andy will use his vast industry experience to provide strategic direction as the business continues its rapid global expansion.

Robin Lee, Head of APAC at Napier, said: “I’m delighted to take on the role of Head of APAC as we accelerate our growth here. The financial sector is increasingly seeing the benefit of technologies such as AI and machine learning when it comes to tracking suspicious activity. We’re able to combine tools such as transaction monitoring and client screening into a single integrated platform to make KYC-AML data easily accessible by compliance teams.”

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PATHWAY CLOSES ON US$400 MILLION CUSTOM FOF FOR ASIA-BASED INVESTOR

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) -- Pathway, a private market portfolio solutions provider has closed on a US$400 million customised fund of funds for an Asia-based institutional investor. (US$1 = RM4.14)

In a statement, the company said the fund would seek to build a diversified portfolio of primary fund investments and co-investments in both the small and middle markets globally.

The fund represents a continuation of Pathway’s successful 30-year history of investing in private markets, which totals more than US$95 billion in commitments. 

To date, Pathway has developed more than 95 customised solutions for clients across private equity, private credit, and infrastructure mandates.

Formed in 1991, Pathway creates and manages single and multi-investor programmes for institutional investors worldwide, investing in various private market strategies via primaries, secondaries, co-investments, and direct credit investments.

-- BERNAMA

COLCORONA STUDY RESULTS PUBLISHED IN THE LANCET RESPIRATORY MEDICINE

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) -- The Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) has announced that the COLCORONA study results have been published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 

The article is entitled, Colchicine for community-treated patients with COVID-19 (COLCORONA): a phase 3, randomised, double-blinded, adaptive, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial.

Based on a statement, Colchicine is an inexpensive and readily available anti-inflammatory drug. Orally administered, it is currently prescribed to treat gout, Familial Mediterranean Fever and pericarditis.

It has concluded that, given the lack of oral therapies available to prevent COVID-19 complications among non-hospitalised patients and the observed benefit of colchicine in patients with a PCR-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, this anti-inflammatory drug could be considered as a treatment for those at risk of complications.

“Our study showed that colchicine could be used to reduce the risk of complications for some patients with COVID-19,” said Director of the MHI Research Centre, Dr Jean-Claude Tardif, who is also Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal and Principal Investigator of COLCORONA.

COLCORONA (NCT04322682) is a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, home-based clinical trial, conducted in Canada, the United States, Europe, South America and South Africa. 

The study included 4,488 non-hospitalised patients over 40 years of age with COVID-19 at the time of inclusion, with at least one identified risk factor for COVID-19 complications.

Patients were randomised to receive colchicine (0.5 mg twice daily for three days and once daily after) or placebo for 30 days.

-- BERNAMA

FORTER SECURES US$300 MILLION FOR US$3 BILLION VALUATION

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) -- Forter, the leader in e-commerce fraud prevention, has raised US$300 million in Series F funding led by Tiger Global Management, with participation from Third Point Ventures and Adage Capital Management. (US$1 = RM4.14)

Based on a statement, existing investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, March Capital, NewView Capital, Salesforce Ventures and Scale Venture Partners.

The announcement comes six months after the company completed its US$125 million Series E round, almost tripling the valuation to US$3 billion, and making Forter the most valuable privately held company ever in the fraud prevention industry.

Forter will use the additional funding to continue expanding its global ecosystem of trust, enabling retailers, e-commerce platforms, issuing banks and payment providers to fight fraud together, boosting confidence and improving shopper experience across the entire purchasing journey.

Over the last 12 months, Forter has grown revenue by more than 100 per cent and added leading global brands as customers including Farfetch, ASOS, SHEIN and Prime Trust, among others.

“Forter’s platform brings together merchants, banks and payment providers to dramatically improve authorisation rates, eliminate false declines and allow consumers to shop with greater convenience and enjoy a more personalised, secure experience,” said Forter co-founder and chief executive officer, Michael Reitblat.

“The funding will enable us to accelerate our growth trajectory by investing in talent, technology and continued global expansion.”

-- BERNAMA

SEA ELECTRIC STRENGTHENS WORLDWIDE PRESENCE AT BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- The recent Brisbane Truck Show at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane, Australia, held a significant presence for global automotive technology company, SEA Electric.

The company has showcased the first-ever public appearance of a full range of operational-ready electric trucks utilising proprietary SEA-Drive® power systems, new SEA Electric branding, and the announcement of senior global leadership taking its helm throughout the Asia Pacific region.

According to a statement, the appointment of Bill Gillespie, president of Asia Pacific, and promotion of Glen Walker to vice president of Asia Pacific, bring a wealth of international transport industry and electric vehicle expertise to the region during a time of growth for SEA Electric worldwide.

Following a recent US$42 million investment, SEA Electric brings electrification solutions and opportunities to nearly every corner of the globe, and in the United States it has added further assembly capacity, creating the current potential for approximately 60,000 units per annum. (US$1 = RM4.143)

According to SEA Electric President and Founder Tony Fairweather, SEA Electric has not only created a low-cost delivery solution, but equally meaningful it has developed a medium voltage/lightweight power system with performance outcomes that exceed the internal combustion engine equivalent.

The North American market, which recently became the new home for SEA Electric’s California-based headquarters, has the largest capability for upfitting capacity at 60,000 units annually.

The addition of a Des Moines Technical Center and planned offices in Chicago, Brooklyn, and Miami before August this year represents SEA Electric’s commitment to the market.

The Brisbane Truck Show highlighted five new SEA-Electric-branded truck models, including the launch of the SEA 300-45 EV and the SEA 300-85 EV. Both models are fully ADR compliant and assembled in Melbourne for Australian distribution.

While SEA Electric’s roots originate in Australia, along with various manufacturing and technology capabilities, the company’s North American growth brings a business model that can be replicated in Europe, as well.

-- BERNAMA

WHR GROUP UNVEILS EMPLOYEE RELOCATION BENCHMARK RESULTS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- WHR Group Inc (WHR), a leader in the global employee relocation industry, has conducted a Global Mobility Benchmark study surveying some of the largest US companies from a variety of industries.

Findings shed light on how companies have changed their employee relocation policies, even during 2020 and a pandemic, according to a statement.

Respondents included corporate staff working in HR, mobility management; talent management; and benefits and compensation departments.

Findings include relocation benefits are still going strong even with the COVID-19 pandemic; 85 per cent of companies offer some type of home sale benefit to transferees; and, 67 per cent of respondents have experienced a talent shortage but include their mobility programme in candidate recruitment strategies.

Over 57 per cent surveyed have an international relocation programme, and 88 per cent have expatriate or international permanent transfer policies.

In addition, more than 50 per cent found immigration laws to be the most challenging part of international relocations with Africa and Asia reported as the most challenging.

Meanwhile, temporary housing; destination services and settling in; household goods; Visa and immigration assistance; and tax assistance are considered core benefits for international transfers and assignments.

Of the 68.5 per cent offering destination closing costs, 76.5 per cent do not cap this benefit, even though capping the support is a way to control organisational costs.

More details at http://www.whrg.com.

-- BERNAMA

NIPPON EXPRESS GLOBAL WEBSITE AVAILABLE IN 14 LANGUAGES NEXT MONTH

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- Nippon Express Co Ltd has been multilingualising its global website, accommodating 14 languages by next month.

As of March, the website is capable of accommodating 12 languages - English, Chinese (simplified), Arabic, Italian, Indonesian, Dutch, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Bengali, Portuguese and Malay.

According to a statement, by next month, German and French language will be added.

Nippon Express is striving to achieve the long-term vision of becoming a logistics company with a strong presence in the global market stipulated in the ‘Nippon Express Group Business Plan 2023 -- Dynamic Growth’. 

Its global website has heretofore only been available in English, but multilingualisation efforts are underway to make the website more convenient for non-English-speaking users and to allow for better communication with a broader range of global customers.

The company will continue enhancing its website and other owned media to make them more convenient for users even as it works to further expand its services.

More details at https://www.nipponexpress.com 

-- BERNAMA

GLAMHIVE FOUNDER STEPHANIE SPRANGERS WITH CO-HOSTS CELEBRITY STYLIST JOHNNY WUJEK, CELEBRITY STYLIST NICOLE CHAVEZ, CELEBRITY HAIR STYLIST ANDREW FITZSIMONS, AND FASHION INFLUENCER CLAIRE SULMERS ANNOUNCE DIGITAL SPRING STYLE AND BEAUTY SUMMIT

Conference will bring leaders in the style and beauty industries together to talk fashion, beauty, costume design, women’s empowerment, sustainability, and more.

LOS ANGELES & SEATTLE, May 21 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- What started out as a way for the style community to come together when the pandemic stopped the industry in its tracks has grown into one of the largest gatherings of the fashion industry worldwide. Now, with life opening back up in the US and abroad, Glamhive’s Digital Spring Style and Beauty Summit on May 22nd will be the final 100% digital summit. Glamhive will launch all future events as a hybrid physical-digital experience.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210520005908/en/

 

The Spring Summit will be the company’s fifth global digital experience and will once again bring together industry professionals and beauty and style enthusiasts to discuss spring style, skincare in the colder months, getting started in the fashion business and much more.

The all-day, ticketed event will feature 19 panels with 66-plus speakers. Below is an overview of the topics that will be covered by the all-star speaker line-up.

TOPICS:

• Who Made This? How Sustainably Sourced Products Empower Women With Every Purchase
• Style 411: Inside the World of Styling
• Contemporary Costume Design: The Role, The Challenges, And It’s Influence On Fashion
• The Red Carpet Report
• “A Star Is Born” Exclusive Interview with Astrologist Susan Miller
• Exclusive Interview with Bridgerton’s Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick
• How To Make A Great First Impression Every Time
• Brand Building for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

During the Who Made This? How Sustainably Sourced Products Empower Women With Every Purchase panel, Chief Marketing Officer for Mary Kay Inc., Sheryl Adkins-Green, will host a discussion on the origin of the items inside each of our closets—and how we can better know the innovators behind the fashion styles. Panelists include Jane Mosbacher, Founder and CEO of TO THE MARKET; Matilda Payne Boakye-Ansah, Designer, Eco-Warrior, Social Entrepreneur, Founder of MH Couture and Co-Founder of Xtreme Upcycle; Christelle C. Paul, Founder and Director of Atelier Calla; and Tara Swennen, celebrity stylist.

“We have an opportunity every day to make choices that help protect our environment,” said Sheryl Adkins-Green, “and it’s important to know about the people and products that are making a difference.”

CO-HOSTS

Stephanie Sprangers - Founder & CEO, Glamhive

Johnny Wujek - Celebrity Stylist & Costume Designer to Katy Perry and Mariah Carey

Nicole Chavez - Celebrity Stylist to Kristen Bell and Jessica Simpson

Andrew Fitzsimons - Celebrity hairstylist to The Kardashians

Claire Sulmers - Founder + CEO of Fashion Bomb Daily

SPEAKERS:

Our speakers are celebrity stylists, makeup artists, and image-makers who work with the biggest names in Hollywood and beyond, including Kristen Stewart, Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey, Emily Blunt, Gabrielle Union, Zendaya, Sophie Turner, Amanda Seyfried, Margot Robbie, Lupita Nyong’o, Emma Watson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Claire Danes, Carmen Electra.

CELEBRITY STYLISTS:

Jen Rade, Tara Swennen, Jessica Paster, Nicole Chavez, Sonia Young, Dana Asher Levine, Mimi Lombardo, Joiee Thorpe, Franzy Staedter.

CELEBRITY MAKEUP ARTISTS + HAIRSTYLISTS:

Sheridan Ward, Katey Denno, Matin Maulawizada, Christian Wood, Halley Brisker, Larry Sims

MODERATORS:
Brian Underwood (Oprah Magazine), Brooke Jaffe, (Penske Media), Alexis Bennett (Vogue), Sarah Ball (PEOPLE Magazine), Flavia Nunez (Real Simple), Alana Peden (StyleCaster) and Sheryl Adkins-Green (Mary Kay Inc.)

Tickets to the conference are $149 for an all-day ticket. Presenting sponsor for the Glamhive Digital Spring Style and Beauty Summit is Mary Kay Inc. and its Mary Kay Global Design Studio.

For more information, visit https://www.glamhive.com/live

About Glamhive: Glamhive was founded by entrepreneur Stephanie Sprangers in 2017 with the vision to democratize personal styling and the premise that the confidence that comes with glamour should not be exclusive to the rich and famous.

The online styling experience offers anyone with a WiFi connection access to stylists who will provide them with the support they need to be the best version of themselves. For stylists, it is a seamless end-to-end platform to help them grow their network and their business, 100% virtually.

About Mary Kay
One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty company nearly 60 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements and fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Mary Kay Ash’s original vision continues to shine—one lipstick at a time.

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DATASTAX COLLABORATES WITH NETAPP TO DELIVER FULL LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT FOR CLOUD NATIVE DATA

DataStax Enterprise and Apache Cassandra™ With NetApp Astra can Help Companies Automate Storage Provisioning, Management and Portability for Containerized Applications at Scale

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 21 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- DataStax today announced a collaboration with NetApp to deliver full lifecycle management for cloud native data in its DataStax Enterprise database as well as open source Apache Cassandra clusters. As part of this partnership, the two companies have worked together to integrate the NetApp Astra data management service for Kubernetes workloads with DataStax Enterprise and Cassandra to provide a single pane of glass management for Cassandra data in modern containerized environments.

With companies adopting more cloud native applications, managing data and storage at scale becomes more important. DataStax Enterprise is a massively scalable, highly available, cloud-native database built on Apache Cassandra - an open source, scale-out database that runs across multiple cloud instances and locations. NetApp Astra is a fully managed service for enterprises to manage, protect, and move their data-rich containerized workloads running on Kubernetes. With the tested and certified DataStax and NetApp solution, enterprises can automate the implementation of Cassandra clusters as well as simplify operations and lifecycle management processes around applications, data and container images on Kubernetes.

“Working with DataStax, we have made it easier for enterprises to adopt and manage high scale, cloud native data,” commented Eric Han, vice president, product management for public cloud at NetApp. “With more enterprises looking to adopt Kubernetes and Cassandra, NetApp simplifies automating those processes to manage data over time, providing business continuity, security and data management services that unlock the best of cloud.”

“When companies want to adopt Kubernetes and create modern data applications, developers and IT operations teams have to think about how they will manage the data that their applications will create. DataStax Enterprise delivers the Cassandra-based scale-out database that can fulfill those requirements around data on Kubernetes,” said Ed Anuff, chief product officer at DataStax. “Our partnership with NetApp makes it easier to manage storage resources and speed up deployments.”

The DataStax and NetApp integration provides the following benefits:

• Faster time to value when delivering business applications through automatic storage provisioning and storage class setup processes
• Improved application unit and system testing efficiency with cloning and migration of application clusters
• Rich data management services, including data protection, business continuity and disaster recovery, active cloning, activity log, and more. This supports rapid recovery from a disaster, or point-in-time copy recovery of DataStax Enterprise or Apache Cassandra clusters to avoid bad transactions
• Seamless portability and migration for Cassandra clusters, supporting enterprise companies with moving Kubernetes workloads and data between cloud locations
• Consistent data management user interface with clear visualization of data protection status.

The DataStax and NetApp solution is available immediately.

Click-to-Tweet: @DataStax partners w/ NetApp to deliver full lifecycle management for cloud native data in DataStax Enterprise & open source @Cassandra clusters, providing a single pane of glass management for Cassandra data in modern containerized environments. https://dtsx.io/3fxCSpu

Resources:

• Solution Brief: Application-aware data management for DataStax Enterprise with NetApp Astra
• DataStax Enterprise: Scale-out, cloud-native NoSQL database built on Apache Cassandra and proven by the Fortune 100

About DataStax

DataStax is the open, multi-cloud stack for modern data apps. DataStax gives enterprises the freedom of choice, simplicity, and true cloud economics to deploy massive data, delivered via APIs, powering rich interactions on multi-cloud, open source and Kubernetes.

DataStax is built on proven Apache Cassandra™, Apache Pulsar™ streaming, and the Stargate open source API platform. DataStax Astra is the new stack for modern data apps as-a-service, built on the scale-out, cloud-native, open source K8ssandra.

DataStax powers modern data apps for 500 of the world’s most demanding enterprises including The Home Depot, T-Mobile, Intuit and half of the Fortune 100.

© 2021 DataStax, All Rights Reserved. DataStax is a registered trademarks of DataStax, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.

Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Pulsar, Pulsar and Apache Kafka are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation or its subsidiaries in Canada, the United States, and/or other countries.

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HONG KONG CELEBRATES THE POWER OF ART PHYSICALLY AND VIRTUALLY, AS THE WORLD'S LEADING CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR RETURNS IN MAY

 

HONG KONG, May 20 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- When event venues shut down globally during the pandemic, people flocked online in record numbers to satisfy their deep craving for art and culture. As the world cautiously looks to resume international travel and bring back events, it is fitting that art is a driving force to make this happen, with Hong Kong paving the way in the hope of safely staging large-scale events again.

 

In May, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) rolled out the ‘Arts in Hong Kong’ campaign to promote a series of major events, in both physical and digital format, organised by fair organisers and cultural institutions around town. It ensures that audiences can reconnect with art and the vitality of Hong Kong, whether here in person or abroad.

Safely hosting major international events

After an absence of more than two years because of the pandemic, Art Basel is officially scheduled to take place from 21 to 23 May at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). More than 100 galleries from Asia, Europe and the Americas have confirmed their participation. In addition, Art Central will run concurrently at the HKCEC for the first time, and is free to attend with registration. The annual French May will continue to offer cultural entertainment, with over 100 events running from 1 May to 30 June.

To ensure that all fair participants have a stress-free experience, best-practice health and safety protocols will be followed, including mask-wearing, timed entry, reduced capacity, wider aisles and regular cleaning.

Art events that defy borders and barriers

Art has long had the power to break down boundaries, and unite and inspire people. Thanks to the depth of its imagination and creativity, Hong Kong’s dynamic arts community has nimbly pivoted to offer hybrid physical and virtual events for people around the world.

In addition to Art Basel, which will launch a new digital initiative, ‘Art Basel Live: Hong Kong’, in parallel with the physical show to amplify its international visibility, fairs that have adopted the hybrid format include Art Central and Yim Tin Tsai Arts Festival 2021. While Hong Kong Arts Festival’s PLUS programme is featuring a diverse line-up of online and in-venue experiences, the soon-to-be-opened West Kowloon Cultural District’s M+ museum is offering online movie screenings on demand.

HKTB gets in on the creative, interactive fun

Actively contributing to Hong Kong’s art revival, the HKTB created a dedicated campaign website, (www.discoverhongkong.com/Arts), which is a one-stop platform providing essential information about ‘Arts in Hong Kong’ and introducing online showcases, art itineraries, an event calendar, artsy offers, interviews with art insiders, and more.

In the online showcases, curated virtual experiences, provided by both international fairs and local events, are all at the fingertips of viewers, regardless of where they are located. It also features an interactive microfilm presented by two local celebrities – multidisciplinary artist Ivana Wong and director Kearen Pang – at some of the city’s coolest attractions, including Tai Kwun, The Mills and the West Kowloon Cultural District.

While we wait for international travel to resume, the wealth of virtual experiences on offer once again highlights Hong Kong’s diverse wealth of cultural treasures and underscores the city’s ability to remain agile in the face of unprecedented disruption.

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POLYPLASTICS OFFERS DESIGN TECHNIQUES AND KNOW-HOW TO REDUCE NOISE IN POM HELICAL GEARS

 TOKYO, May 20, 2021 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

Polyplastics Co., Ltd., a leading global supplier of engineering thermoplastics, offers a range of design tips and techniques to help manufacturers reduce noise in helical gears made of polyoxymethylene (POM). Polyplastics is a leading global manufacturer of POM, under the DURACON (R) tradename, for diverse markets, including gears.   Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100475/202104234116/_prw_PI1fl_F2r77Ylo.gif     Among the design findings, it is generally believed that the tilt of the gear axis is an important consideration and its elimination will have a positive impact on noise issues. Polyplastics tried to verify that assumption, and actually focused on the skewed shaft angle (offset error). The company learned that noise does not necessarily worsen when the axis tilts.   Instead, Polyplastics found that noise issues arise when changing the center distance, depending on whether there is a skewed shaft angle. Polyplastics examined the impact of the center distance for helical gears with a skewed shaft angle of 0 deg. Noise levels are lowest in the area where an increase in the center distance is between 0 and 0.6 mm, and then flattens out. On the other hand, noise increases beyond 0.6 mm because the transverse contact ratio is less than 1.0.   Polyplastics notes that helical gears have a phenomenon called an overlap ratio. The total contact ratio is the sum of a transverse contact ratio and an overlap ratio, and theoretically the total contact ratio must be 1.0 or higher for rotation at constant speed on the driven side. A transverse contact ratio less than 1 means that the length of the path of contact is less than one pitch. In other words, there is a space in which teeth do not touch within the space of one pitch. Findings show that helical gears will have a total contact ratio of 1 or higher and will keep operating at constant speed without noise issues.   For more information, visit: https://www.polyplastics.com/en/support/gear/gear_noise/index.html   About Polyplastics: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202104234116-O1-YlL347T1.pdf   DURACON (R) is a registered trademark of Polyplastics Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries. http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40080

QUANT LEGALTECH RELEASES FREE COMPLIANCE TOOLKITS FOR FUND MANAGERS AND TRUST COMPANIES

SINGAPORE, May 19, 2021/PTI-AsiaNet/ --

Quant LegalTech announced the release of a free cloud-based version of 4 of Compliance Toolkits issued by Monetary Authority of Singapore ("MAS"). The Toolkits selected for digitization were issued for Licensed and Registered Fund Managers, Venture Capital Fund Managers and Licensed Trust Companies. The Toolkits can be found at https://quantlegaltech.com/sg   The Toolkit is available on the company's cloud-based Complius(TM) platform and provides a DIY on-boarding capability where users can distribute, execute and track compliance activities throughout their organizations.   John Matheson, Quant LegalTech's Co-Founder explained the initiative.    "We noticed that institutions were aware of the Toolkits but had difficulty implementing them. Their main challenge was that a majority of the activities were "event-based", meaning that nothing had to be done unless a particular event triggered an obligation to report to MAS.  To simplify this, we associated events into common attributes and built a reminder system so that compliance owners would learn to identify the events that trigger notifications".   The Digitized Toolkits are aimed at small offices who typically don't have a full-time compliance officer and are looking for automation tools to stay on top of their obligations. Although the Toolkits are free for the first 12 months. One of the main advantages of using compliance automation is that compliance practices are habit forming and once they become engrained, institutions become stronger.    Matheson added that his company was attracted by challenge in digitizing the Compliance Toolkits.   "Singapore FI's have hundreds of compliance obligations to meet and yet MAS has zeroed in on a small fraction of that data-set and then were careful to point out that their list is not exhaustive. This suggested to us that the solution had to be comprehensive while taking a minimal amount of time to deploy".   About Us   Quant LegalTech is a legal-technology company with a singular vision to build innovative, user-friendly legal-tech solutions for corporate governance, risk and compliance.   Complius(TM) has been engineered in-house with easy-to-use interfaces, customizable dashboards, and cloud-based solutions which have coalesced to enable the next generation of legal services. http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40067

IRONNET-NUTANIX PARTNERSHIP BRINGS COLLECTIVE DEFENSE TO HYBRID, MULTICLOUD ENVIRONMENTS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- IronNet Cybersecurity, in its mission to transform cybersecurity via Collective Defense, has announced its Nutanix Ready validated solution with leading private, hybrid and multicloud software provider Nutanix.

This is to deliver IronNet’s Collective Defense Platform on Nutanix environments, according to a statement.

“Partnering with Nutanix is a big deal for IronNet and our customers because it allows us to offer the unique promise of Collective Defense and extend it into public, private and hybrid cloud environments,” said VP of IronNet’s EMEA region, Justin Coker.

“The HCI architecture is extremely efficient for intensifying the performance of IronNet’s AI-based detection and threat sharing capabilities — while reducing overall total cost of ownership.”

This unique new offering establishes IronNet as a leading network detection and response vendor integrated with Nutanix’ hyperconverged infrastructure-powered cloud platform.

In addition to the integration with Nutanix core software, the solution leverages Nutanix Karbon, the company’s Kubernetes management solution, to simplify deployment across public and private clouds and significantly reduce management overhead of the Kubernetes cluster.

This enables customers to rapidly deploy and scale IronNet’s cloud-based solution for detecting and preventing sophisticated and damaging cyber attacks such as the recent SolarWinds/SUNBURST and Microsoft Exchange attacks.

Based on AI-powered behavioural analytics and NDR, IronNet's Collective Defense platform detects unknown cyber threats that signature-based tools often miss and shares the related threat intelligence in real time within a secure community ecosystem.

-- BERNAMA

PRESTIGE BIOPHARMA, BUSAN CITY INK MOU FOR R&D CENTRE ESTABLISHMENT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- Prestige BioPharma Limited (PBP) and Busan City Government have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish Research and Development (R&D) centre in Busan, South Korea.

With the signing ceremony held at Busan City hall in Busan, the signing of this MoU is meaningful for Busan City to have its first local bio-pharmaceutical R&D centre, according to a statement.

“With this partnership and the global-scale R&D centre, Prestige BioPharma will be able to accelerate the development of innovative antibody drugs and at the same time, contribute to the growing global demands of vaccines in response to COVID-19 and potential future pandemics,” said Prestige BioPharma Chief Executive Officer, Lisa S. Park.

“We strongly believe that this Busan R&D centre will be a landmark of Busan City and will boost the local economy.”

PBP is on target to build a global-scale R&D centre with a total area of approximately 45,000 square metres and will invest US$152 million, including hiring 209 of PhD and highly qualified R&D personnel, for the next five years. (US$1 = RM4.125)

Through this MoU, PBP and Busan City will cooperate in creating a bio-cluster that supports a local economy and drives mutual growth in academia and industry. The 50 per cent of its R&D resources will be sourced from local universities and community.

PBP is the first Singapore-based company to be listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index. The first pipeline of PBP, Herceptin® biosimilar has successfully completed its Phase III clinical trial and is currently under EMA review.

The company recently expanded its business to vaccine development and production and participated in a consortium in the production of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine as the Drug Substance manufacturing organisation.

More details at www.prestigebiopharma.com.

-- BERNAMA

BEST'S MARKET SEGMENT REPORT: AM BEST REVISES OUTLOOK ON SOUTH KOREA NON-LIFE INSURANCE MARKET TO STABLE

HONG KONG, May 17 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AM Best has revised its market segment outlook to stable from negative for the South Korea non-life insurance industry, according to a new AM Best report.

In the new Best’s Market Segment Report, “Market Segment Outlook: South Korea Non-Life Insurance,” AM Best states that the revision is based on the following factors:

• Improved underwriting performance, driven by a favourable auto loss ratio, outweighing the impact of increased long-term medical claims;
• Stabilised expense ratios mainly as a result of reduced market competition;
• Potential asset risk effectively limited and controlled by most insurers amid volatile capital market in 2020; and
• Market interest rate rebound that may alleviate pressure on running yields of fixed income assets.

Although the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to partial disruption of face-to-face sales activities, the impact on overall top-line was limited, given non-life insurers’ large base of recurring long-term insurance premiums and strong growth of automobile insurance due to several rounds of industry-wide rate increment exercises in 2019 and early 2020 as well as fast expanding online sales of automobile insurance. Favorable claims experience due to the reduced traffic during the pandemic also contributed to the material improvement in auto insurance operating performance.

Over the last few years, the South Korean non-life segment reported a rising overall expense ratio–to 23.0% in 2019 from 19.0% in 2015–although it appears to have stabilised at 21.9% in 2020. AM Best notes that the over-competition in the general agency channel has receded with the implementation of a regulatory restriction on sales commissions in January 2021 and insurers’ effort to recover bottom lines.

Investment profits, which are companies key source of earnings, declined by 9.4% in 2020 mainly because of the base effect in 2019 when bond disposal gains surged. Despite excluding the impact of disposal gains, AM Best notes that the running yields for financial securities declined as market interest rates mostly remained low, following two rounds of base rate cut by the central bank in early 2020. However, market rates have since rebounded in the second half of 2020, and exceeded pre-pandemic levels as of the first quarter of 2021. AM Best expects significant asset volatility or further sharp deterioration in investment yields are unlikely and insurance company’s investment margin to remain at a similar level over the near term.

Over the next 12 months, AM Best expects non-life companies to maintain a solid pace of expansion, driven by stable growth in the long-term insurance, automobile and general property/casualty insurance segments. AM Best also expects underwriting profitability to remain stable over the next 12 months due to favorable performance in auto segment, despite underwriting pressure in the long-term insurance segment as rising medical claims remain a concern.

To access a full copy of this market segment report visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=308572.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40044

JUMIO'S AUTOMATION SURPASSES 1 MILLION VERIFICATIONS PER DAY AS COMPANY CELEBRATES 118% INCREASE IN REVENUE

 AI-powered technology achieving record high catch rates and low false positives for fraud despite enormous influx of traffic


PALO ALTO, Calif., May 17 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Jumio, the leading provider of AI-powered end-to-end identity verification and eKYC solutions, today announced it is now processing more than one million daily identity verifications, the vast majority of which are completely automated. By consistently setting new records, Jumio has already cleared over 100 million different transactions so far in 2021 alone, with YTD revenue growing more than 118% year-over-year.

Jumio’s sophisticated machine learning models now catch the majority of fraud attempts found. Fraud detection has dramatically increased due to the state-of-the-art accuracy of Jumio’s Face Lookup feature. This innovation flags potential fraudulent activity by the same face being used across multiple identity verification attempts, specifically targeting fraud rings and repeat fraudsters. Additionally, Jumio’s automation recently won gold for AI in Security in the 2021 Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards.

“Scaling to meet this explosive growth has required both innovation and execution. We have even had customers transferring volumes from other identity verification providers that are unable to scale and keep up with their high volumes,” said Bala Kumar, Jumio chief product officer, who joined Jumio in March from TransUnion and iovation. “Powered by automation and an infrastructure that is faster and more reliable than ever, we are excited about the benefits that Jumio’s next-generation innovations will unlock.”

Building on top of existing AI powered automation, the company continues to accelerate its investments in innovation by leveraging the $150 million round of funding recently raised from Great Hill Partners.

To learn more about Jumio and its award-winning, AI-powered identity solutions, visit jumio.com.

About Jumio

When identity matters, trust Jumio. Jumio’s mission is to make the internet a safer place by protecting the ecosystems of businesses through a unified, end-to-end identity verification and eKYC platform. The Jumio KYX Platform offers a range of identity proofing and AML services to accurately establish, maintain and reassert trust from account opening to ongoing transaction monitoring.

Leveraging advanced technology including AI, biometrics, machine learning, liveness detection and automation, Jumio helps organizations fight fraud and financial crime, onboard good customers faster and meet regulatory compliance including KYC, AML and GDPR. Jumio has carried out more than 400 million verifications spanning over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions.

Based in Palo Alto, Jumio operates globally with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific and has been the recipient of numerous awards for innovation. Jumio is backed by Centana Growth Partners, Great Hill Partners and Millennium Technology Value Partners.

For more information, please visit www.jumio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
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Contact

U.S. Media Contact
Alex Mercurio
10Fold Communications
jumio@10fold.com
949-940-5656

Europe Media Contact
Gemma Lingham
FleishmanHillard UK
gemma.lingham@fleishman.com
+44-752-569-9347

Source : Jumio