News In Brief

Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you and write them in no more than five paragraphs. Below are snippets of all the media releases that we received from October 11 till 17. Please check back throughout the week for more updates.

StraitsX surpasses $2B mark in digital assets

Singapore, October 11: StraitsX, Southeast Asia’s pioneering digital assets platform developed by Xfers, a Singapore-based FinTech licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for e-money issuance, today announced that it has surpassed the SGD$2 billion mark in digital assets-related transactions on its payment platform in 2021 alone.
“The growth in transactions shows that investors are increasingly exploring digital assets as an alternative form of investment that offers liquidity and returns,” Head of StraitsX Aymeric Salley said.
“Meanwhile, central banks around the world are examining the potential benefits of digital and decentralised financial systems.
“Recently, we have been shortlisted in the MAS Global CBDC Challenge together with our partner SEBA Bank to explore innovative retail CBDC solutions to enhance payment efficiencies, and we intend to intensify our efforts working hand-in-hand with both regulators and digital assets market participants to enable such transformation,” he said.

New report outlines Australia’s role in vaccinating the world

Sydney, Oct 11: The Federal Government is being urged to commit to further action to fight the COVID pandemic in poor countries before the virus mutates and renders current vaccines ineffective.
A new report, A SHOT OF HOPE – Australia’s role in vaccinating the World, notes that two-thirds of 77 epidemiologists surveyed in 28 developing countries believe if action is not taken now, it would take less than a year before the virus mutates.
The End COVID For All campaign said the key to preventing this is vaccinating the world. 
But as the report outlines, at the current rate, more than 19 low-income countries won’t reach 70 per cent vaccination until after 2030.
“The longer we allow developing countries to lag in terms of vaccination rates, the more time we give the virus to mutate and spread,” End COVID For All spokesperson Reverend Tim Costello said.

JAZRO Partners with MDEC to Organise #MyDigitalMaker Virtual Fair

Kuala Terengganu, Oct 12: Jazari Robot Resources (JAZRO) has partnered with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to organise the #MyDigitalMaker Virtual Fair for the East Coast Region held from October 17 till 22. 
It is an educational fair aimed at teaching participants various subjects including robotics, coding, drones, 3D printing, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. 
The event is open to primary and secondary school students and aims at attracting 5000 participants from three east coast states namely Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu, although students from other states are welcome to join.
In addition to webinars, #MyDigitalMaker East Coast will also hold several competitions such as 3D Design, Create Your Own Game, a drone challenge, Mission to Mars Space Exploration, and Arduino Innovation Challenge. 
Those who are interested to join may go to the #MyDigitalMaker East Coast registration link at www.ezy.la/MDMEC to register.

Berjaya Partners With Holista

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 12: Malaysians will soon be able to order healthier breads and food products from Starbucks Malaysia, Kenny Rogers and 7-Eleven stores under a collaboration between Berjaya Corporation Bhd and homegrown natural foods specialist Holista Colltech Ltd. 
Australian Securities Exchange-listed Holista, headquartered in Petaling Jaya, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Country Farms Sdn Bhd, a Berjaya subsidiary that produces and supplies organic and healthy food for the Bursa-listed Berjaya Group.
Under the agreement, Country Farms will hold exclusive rights for Holista’s low-glycaemic index (“low-GI”) pre-mix for flour products, sugar reduction technology, plant-based meat products and dietary supplements for markets where Berjaya or its associates operate.
Country Farms already owns the rights in Malaysia for the plant-based range of Beyond Meat. 
It will serve as the distribution for Holista’s products to the Berjaya Group which also operates a range of vegan shops in Malaysia.

Asia Society Australia and RMIT announce a strategic partnership

Melbourne, Oct 12: RMIT University and Asia Society Australia have entered into a strategic partnership to advance Australia’s economic, education and people-to-people engagement with Asia and strengthen Victoria’s position as a centre of Asia insights and capabilities.  
The partnership will co-locate Asia Society Australia at RMIT, bringing together its global think-tank and convening capabilities with the University’s world-class research, teaching and infrastructure. 
Central to the agreement will be the creation of a new Asia Trade and Innovation Hub at RMIT’s CBD campus on Swanston Street in the heart of Melbourne’s academic and innovation precinct.  
RMIT interim Vice-Chancellor Dionne Higgins said the new Asia Trade and Innovation Hub would foster greater connectivity with Asia, providing a physical and digital ‘front door’ for Victorians to engage in the region when it opens next year. 
“The Asia Trade and Innovation Hub will leverage both partners’ expertise and networks to create new opportunities for Victorian economic and social engagement in Asia.”  

Mambu and Rich Data Co partner to support AI innovation 

Singapore, Oct 12: Mambu, the market leading cloud-native SaaS banking platform, combined with Rich Data Corporation’s (RDC) are partnering to enable both traditional and neo banks to leverage the latest AI techniques to operate efficiently, configure and deploy rapidly, and mitigate credit risk. 
Unlocking the value of AI means that lenders are armed with a diverse set of tools to make sound credit risk decisions, even with limited or no readily available data. 
This is a heightened challenge when banks and lenders are looking to launch new products or target a new lending segment.
In partnership, RDC and Mambu bring AI innovation to life, with cloud infrastructure to support the use of AI in the origination and servicing of the credit lifecycle. 
The combined value delivered by the two organisations will enable banks to improve workflow and address efficiency issues, achieve faster time to yes, and faster time to fund. 

Top Glove Launches Inaugural Zero Harm on Mental Health 

Shah Alam, Oct 12: In an effort to raise mental health awareness in the corporate sector,  promote mental wellness and break the stigma about mental health in the workplace, Top Glove launched its  inaugural Zero Harm on Mental Health programme on Sunday in conjunction with  World Mental Health Day. 
Initiated by the Top Glove Global Doctors (TGGD) Mental Health Clinical and Crisis Support Team, this programme, together with the existing Zero Harm and Safety Health Emergency Preparedness Programme introduced in 2019, provides a comprehensive safety and wellness action plan for Top Glove employees. 
“The objectives of the Zero Harm on Mental Health  program are to promote mental health awareness and break the stigma on mental health, so we can create a  supportive, respectful and inclusive environment at the workplace. We, as leaders especially, must be role  models in promoting corporate mental wellness,” Top Glove Founder and  Executive Chairman, Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai said.
‘Zero Harm’ is a conceptual approach to heighten the occupational safety of a workplace, whereby a  workplace operates without exposing an individual to injury, through the implementation of safe work  environment systems. 
The Zero Harm culture has been introduced at Top Glove as an additional initiative, over and above complying with safety and health requirements set out by the Department of Health and Safety (DOSH).

Aurelius and LPPKN Provide Free Mammogram Screening

Nilai, Oct 13:  Aurelius Healthcare has teamed up with the Lembaga Penduduk Dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara, an agency under the purview of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development to encourage an uptake of breast cancer screenings by providing free mammograms to those eligible throughout the month of October.Administered by Nilai Medical Centre, this partnership involves a commitment to provide complimentary mammogram sessions that typically costs about RM290, that will be allocated for underserved women between the ages of 40 to 69 years old within the surrounding community. 
The programme is also extended to the wives of the Royal Malaysian Police forces in Nilai and students of Nilai University.
This free mammogram screening is part of Aurelius’ ‘Hunt That Lump’ campaign, timed in conjunction with the Pink October Breast Cancer Awareness month. 
The Group is also organising a series of engaging and educational activities to raise greater awareness around breast cancer.

‘GRAB’ The Opportunity To Make A Difference

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 13: In conjunction with World Poverty Day in October, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) of Malaysia is teaming up with Grab Malaysia to raise funds in efforts to purchase a new dialysis machine that will provide NKF’s underprivileged kidney failure patients with a higher quality of life.
From now until Dec 31, Grab users in Malaysia can make a difference by visiting the GrabRewards catalogue in their Grab app and converting their points into donations.
Every 800 GrabRewards points used will translate to a RM5 donation towards NKF.
Those who are interested in contributing towards the organisation’s efforts for dialysis patients can follow these simple steps:

1. Click on the “Points” function in the Grab app
2. Select “Services”
3. Select “National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia”
4. Click “Redeem”

Aussie-invented NeedleCalm Wins International Good Design Award

Sydney, October 13: Australia’s world-leading medical invention helping reduce pain and fear around needle procedures, including the COVID-19 vaccine, NeedleCalm was announced today as a winner of Australia’s peak international design awards during the 2021 Good Design Awards Week.
NeedleCalm’s ‘Needle Desensitising Device’ received a prestigious Good Design Award Winner Accolade in the Product Design category in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.
The Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in the country and reward projects across 12 design disciplines and 30 subcategories.  
“Given about 1 in 10 people are afraid of needles, this is a positive approach to overcoming a common problem. The discreet aesthetics of the device and its similarity to a sticky plaster may assist in uptake and the technique of activating alternate pain receptor pathways is clever too,”The Good Design Awards Jury said.
Melbourne-headquartered NeedleCalm earlier this year launched their breakthrough Australian medical device assisting with the reduction of needle-associated pain with injection, immunisation, venepuncture and catheterisation procedures often associated with vaccinations, blood donations and tests, and cancer treatment.

MyMy Empower Malaysians With New Breed Of Financial Services 

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 13: Homegrown e-wallet player, MyMy has announced its partnership for a principal membership from Mastercard, adding prepaid physical and virtual cards to their offering. 
MyMy is the only Malaysian start-up that was able to receive this esteemed approval from Mastercard. 
It also added a further RM4 million in foreign direct investment, bringing the company’s total funding to RM23 million. 
“If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that Malaysians deserve better financial services,” MyMy CEO and Co-Founder Kishore Samuel said.
Established in 2018, MyMy is Malaysia’s homegrown e-wallet aiming to empower Malaysians to be digitally and financially savvy; all whilst catapulting Malaysia into a creative digital economy. 

FedEx Express Increases Capacity From Asia Pacific Ahead Of Year-end Holiday Peak 

Hong Kong, Oct 14: FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, has further increased capacity with the launch of two new flights connecting Asia Pacific (APAC) businesses to Europe and North America respectively.
At the same time, it has added wide-body 767 freighters, making the FedEx fleet in Asia 100 percent wide-body.
The launch of these two new flights is the latest in the FedEx network expansion, as economies across APAC continue to rebound.
Combined with the four new intercontinental flights launched in July, FedEx has added 62 flights in and out of APAC per week with additional capacity to carry almost 2,700 tons (2,690,000 kgs).
These added flights contribute to a total of over 225 weekly flights in and out of APAC to the U.S. and Europe.

Topelia Australia launches US$25M Series A call for COVID-19 ATT Ziverdox

Sydney, Oct 14: Topelia Australia, a biotech company established to commercialise a novel ATT treatment for Australians in quarantine, has launched an investment program designed to keep the invention Australian owned – while rolling out treatment to the world.
The company is raising US$25 million from investors in Australia, Asia and USA.
“Topelia proposes to offer the ATT treatment alongside the current vaccination program to treat and vaccinate our way out of this pandemic.
“As Australia comes out of lockdowns and countries around the world experience spikes in cases, it is vital to fast-track the production of a safe early antiviral medical treatment kit.
The novel Antiviral Triple Therapy, to be branded as Ziverdox, comprises TGA-approved medications prescribed for decades with exceptional safety profiles.
COVID-19 will be with us for some time so even vaccinated people with breakthrough COVID-19 infections can benefit from ATT to prevent long-COVID associated lung, brain and organ damage.”

Epson Ranks as ASEAN’s No. 1 Choice for Desktop Colour Label Printers for Three Consecutive Years    

Malaysia, Oct 14: Epson leads the ASEAN market as the No. 1 brand in the desktop colour label printer category for 2018 to 2020, according to global market intelligence provider, IDC. This demonstrates how Epson is the ideal partner for customers who require high-quality colour label solutions on demand for a variety of applications and production levels.
Designed for speed, control and flexibility, Epson’s ColorWorks label printer series allows businesses the freedom and versatility to create distinct and vibrant labels on a wide variety of substrates, sizes and shapes, while reducing downtime and supplies for added productivity and efficiency.
This means no pre-printing required for accurate colour reproduction, while eliminating the need for external print vendors to ensure consistent, quality label production time-after-time. 
All products in the range are designed and manufactured by Epson to ensure top-notch label production with vibrant colour output and extreme durability, meeting BS-5609 standards for GHS compliant labelling which can stand up to harsh weather conditions. 

NTT Announced As Official Technology Partner to the Tour de France 

Petaling Jaya, Oct 15:  NTT Ltd., a global technology and business solutions provider, has announced its role as A.S.O’s Official Technology Partner to Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
The new race, which will launch in 2022 and for which the route is announced today, will promote the development of women’s cycling and inspire the next generation of female riders.
The inaugural race will start on the Champs-Élysées on July 24, prior to the conclusion of the men’s race.
The race will feature 20 teams of six riders and will conclude on July 31. 
As the event’s official technology partner, NTT will work with A.S.O. to implement a technology roadmap to provide a rich digital experience for fans.