YAMAGATA PREFECTURAL GOVERNMENT EYES DESIGNATION AS ONE OF GLOBALLY IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE SYSTEM FOR "MOGAMI SAFFLOWER"

YAMAGATA, Japan, Mar. 31, 2020 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

The Yamagata Prefectural Government announced on March 31 that it has decided to apply for designation as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), along with the Yamagata Safflower Promotion Committee, to inherit the traditional and unique "Mogami Safflower" agricultural system to the next generation and widely disseminate its value to the world.

Photo1: Safflowers https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202003248362-O1-16Q0OieE 

Photo2: Benimochi (safflower cakes for dyeing)
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M105076/202003248362/_prw_PI2fl_Witfk5nM.jpg 

Photo3: Color sample of safflower dye
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202003248362-O3-I48Z8ZeY

Photo4: Kimono dyed with safflower dye
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202003248362-O4-F9P8Hhdf
 

1. Application for GIAHS designation

"Mogami Safflower" of Yamagata is a natural dye ingredient producing a beautiful crimson red dye. Yamagata is the sole prefecture with this unique and traditional agricultural system in the world. 

The Yamagata Prefecture Safflower Promotion Committee, comprising Yamagata Prefecture and 8 municipalities and affiliates, decided to apply for GIAHS designation on March 27.

GIAHS is a system by which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) certifies areas of traditional agricultural importance that are important worldwide. 

The committee is preparing to submit an application for GIAHS designation to Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries by June 10, 2020. In mid-July, safflower festivals are held in various parts of the prefecture, and the agricultural system is promoted at the venue where safflowers are in full bloom.

2. Safflower agricultural system 

Originating from the Middle East, safflower spread across every region from the west to the east on the Silk Road. Today, safflower is mainly used around the world for its oil. However, safflower in Yamagata has been produced for the same long period, since 450 years ago, as a natural dye ingredient. 

Safflower producers pluck the yellow petals of the flower and extract the red pigment through oxidation to produce the material for natural dye, called "Benimochi". It means safflower cakes for dyeing. This is a traditional and unique process that has not changed since the Edo feudal period.

"Benimochi," used to dye "Shinto" ritual costumes and as paint for ukiyo-e woodblock prints, was crucial in the growth of traditional Japanese culture. Even today, the dye is still used for "kimono" clothes and lip colorants.

SOURCE: Yamagata Prefectural Government

ASEAN member states achieve industrialisation, integration into global economy via textiles, clothing

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 -- Textiles and clothing are archetypal industries through which ASEAN member states achieve industrialisation and integration into the global economy, according to Global Value Chains in ASEAN: Textiles and Clothing published by the ASEAN-Japan Centre.

According to a statement, it is essential to recognise the significant intra-industry variation in terms of technological attributes and factor intensity. For ASEAN, the most vibrant is clothing, which is often a major exporter, generating significant employment.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Viet Nam are the world’s major exporters of clothing. Textiles, in contrast, play a less salient role in its overall export structure because of their technology and capital intensity.

In the clothing industry, the lower-income ASEAN countries tend to specialise in labour-intensive activities such as cut, make and trim operations, while knowledge-intensive processes such as design and marketing are concentrated in the more advanced economies of the region.

Process and product upgrading occur primarily through technological transfer from lead firms (buyers) in global value chains. However, functional upgrading is typically achieved through local and regional markets.

In 2017, the domestic value added in exports of textiles, clothing and leather in ASEAN was about US$51 billion or 68 per cent of the total exports, which became part of the ASEAN GDP, while the foreign value added was the remaining balance of about US$24 billion or 32 per cent. (US$1 = RM4.30)

More details at https://www.asean.or.jp/en/centre-wide-info/gvc_database_paper14/

-- BERNAMA

EPIQ LAUNCHES SECURE, SCALABLE, REMOTE REVIEW IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

NEW YORK, March 30 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The legal industry is quickly adapting to new work procedures to adhere to evolving COVID-19 prevention measures while continuing to get work done. To assist in this process, Epiq has mobilized rapidly to create a secure and legally defensible remote document review and project management solution to meet this need.

Epiq’s remote review solution transforms legal workflows by providing a highly-secure, scalable, and flexible remote review program. The program, available globally since March 20, allows for access to any eDiscovery, incident response, or contracts review platform. The solution allows Epiq to rapidly scale up teams of reviewers across locations, in a highly agile way, to respond to the needs of clients.

Using an array of oversight options, including comprehensive reporting metrics, confidentiality agreements, and training, Epiq has successfully created a global, digital team of expert managers for all review matters. Epiq has onboarded workers to the remote platform, who were previously working in-person at 15 locations across North America, within the span of seven days, with the ability to quickly scale from our database of over 30,000 vetted review attorneys as needed.

“Our Toronto team worked diligently to transition to this new secure remote work environment while also meeting a critical project deadline,” said Tiffany Arroyo, eDiscovery review manager at Epiq. “Our client was thankful we were able to continue work on their project with minimal disruption. We also received very positive feedback from our attorney reviewers who are working in this new environment.”

The solution is carefully built to ensure secure remote work by using multi-factor authentication and verified https protocols and includes a complete set of safety measures ranging from disabled data redirection to automated data clearing on virtual desktops. Additionally, the clearly defined and detailed review management and supervisory protocols Epiq is known for are embedded in the solution to ensure that the highest standards of quality and operational effectiveness are met.

“We are focused on developing valuable solutions to help our clients better navigate these challenging times,” said Senior Vice President Thomas Tromiczak. “Our new secure remote review solution is an important example of how we will continue to innovate and evolve with the times to transform the business of law.”

The remote solution will continue to be available to clients and will evolve over time to provide more features, functionality, and security. No longer limited by facility space or location, the remote review platform at Epiq reaches clients anywhere, anytime.

To find out more, get in touch with us here.

About Epiq
Epiq, a global leader in the legal services industry, takes on large-scale, increasingly complex tasks for corporate counsel, law firms, and business professionals with efficiency, clarity, and confidence. Clients rely on Epiq to streamline the administration of business operations, class action and mass tort, court reporting, eDiscovery, regulatory, compliance, restructuring, and bankruptcy matters. Epiq subject-matter experts and technologies create efficiency through expertise and deliver confidence to high-performing clients around the world. Learn more at https://www.epiqglobal.com.

Press Contact
Catherine Ostheimer
Epiq
+1 646 282 1800
costheimer@epiqglobal.com 

SOURCE : Epiq Systems Inc

NIPPON EXPRESS'S CHUO INTERNATIONAL OFFICE (OSAKA) ACQUIRES HALAL CERTIFICATION

TOKYO, Mar. 27, 2020 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

- Halal Network Expanded to Third Location in Japan -

Nippon Express Co., Ltd., on Wednesday, March 4, received halal certification from the Japan Halal Association (JHA) for a dedicated area set up within its Osaka International Transport Branch's Chuo International Office in Minato Ward, Osaka. This is the third Nippon Express location in Japan to be granted such certification, the first two being in Tokyo and Fukuoka.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202003248354-O1-PA4ey0CM

Photo1: Location exterior https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202003248354/_prw_PI2lg_2R9W6N2n.jpg

Photo2: Halal area within warehouse https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202003248354/_prw_PI3lg_uM829D5f.jpg

- Background to certification

The Kansai region hosts numerous sightseeing spots very popular with foreign tourists, and the 2025 World Exposition in Japan will be held in Osaka. So demand for halal products is expected to grow. With its many air and sea routes to Southeast Asia, home to a large Muslim population, Osaka also serves as a transit point connecting both eastern and western Japan with overseas destinations.

The Osaka International Transport Branch's Chuo International Office handles import/export, bonded warehouse storage and domestic logistics operations for halal products.

To handle an anticipated increase in foreign visitors from a diversity of cultural backgrounds, Nippon Express is constructing a network for halal logistics services to support customers' supply chains in Japan, where interest in halal products is growing, in order to offer safety and peace of mind to Muslim visitors and residents.

- Profile of location
Name: Chuo International Office, Osaka International Transport Branch
Address: Kaigandori 3-4-55, Minato-ku, Osaka
Warehouse area: 8,988 square meters (including a 1,496 square meters 
temperature-controlled space)
Certified area: 743 square meters within 2nd floor temperature-controlled space

Nippon Express's halal logistics certifications: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202003248354-O1-F8995J1h.pdf

Nippon Express website: http://www.nipponexpress.com/

Official LinkedIn Account: NIPPON EXPRESS GROUP https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/

Source: Nippon Express Co., Ltd. 

COVID-19: Mary Kay manufactures, donates hand sanitiser

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 -- Mary Kay Inc has announced the company will dedicate part of its global supply chain and manufacturing capabilities to producing the much-needed hand sanitiser.

According to a statement, the first products off the line will be for donation to those on the front lines addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser to prevent infections. Due to consumer demand, there’s been a great shortage in CDC-recommended hand sanitiser at homes and healthcare settings.

Mary Kay has been working over the past week to move into production by procuring raw materials, determining packaging availability on hand, preparing the manufacturing production lines and ensuring shipping.

The first batch of hand sanitiser products will be donated to the Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation. Baylor Scott & White is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas and one of the largest in the United States.

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

-- BERNAMA

Olympus Scientific Cloud version 3.0 offers powerful tools for inspection, analytical applications

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 -- Olympus Scientific Cloud (OSC) version 3.0 has offered powerful new tools that simplify data handling, enabling users to leverage the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 for their inspection and analytical applications.

Accessed directly from the Olympus-IMS website, users will experience a streamlined UI, a new App Marketplace, instrument fleet and personnel management tools, cloud data storage and more, according to a statement.

The OSC 3.0 is a single-source platform for all connected Olympus industrial devices to provide continuously enhanced, comprehensive solutions.

By signing up for a free OSC account, users with Olympus wireless-enabled devices including the Vanta™ XRF analyser, EPOCH™ 6LT flaw detector and 38DL PLUS™ thickness gage with a 38-Link™ adaptor, can expand their instrument’s capabilities with free features such as 10 GB of storage per tenant and wireless software updates.

Users can also browse free and paid applications designed to ease some of their most pressing pain points in the new App Marketplace. The first of these new apps, the Inspection Project Manager, was released with OSC 3.0.

The OSC also provides a single location where administrators can control the users and devices associated with their cloud tenant. Admins can control users’ privileges and roles, add/remove members, manage their data and manage subscriptions.

Olympus is a global technology leader, crafting innovative optical and digital solutions in medical technologies; life sciences; industrial solutions; and cameras and audio products. More details at https://www.olympus-ims.com.

-- BERNAMA

CLOUDFLARE AND ALIBABA CLOUD COLLABORATE ON EXPANSION OF BANDWIDTH ALLIANCE

Joint customers outside mainland China can have bandwidth fees waived


SAN FRANCISCO, March 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET), the security, performance, and reliability company helping to build a better Internet, today announced that it has expanded the Bandwidth Alliance by partnering with Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group.

The Bandwidth Alliance, launched in September 2018, is a group of forward-thinking cloud and networking companies that are committed to discounting or waiving data transfer fees (also known as bandwidth fees) for shared customers. The Bandwidth Alliance now includes 20 partners, all committed to providing the most performant and cost-efficient experience for mutual customers.

“We launched the Bandwidth Alliance to give our customers a faster, more secure, and more reliable Internet, without the awful fees that have historically bogged them down,” said Arjunan Rajeswaran, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Cloudflare. “Alibaba Cloud has built an impressive business that considers its customers first, and together, we will give our joint customers the best Internet experience possible.”

By joining the Bandwidth Alliance, customers using both Alibaba Cloud Object Storage, and Cloudflare products, will have their data egress fees waived outside mainland China if OSS products are purchased from alibabacloud.com.

"In addition to waiving the egress fee, Alibaba Cloud will also waive up to 100 million API requests, and 10TB image processing fees for all customers in regions outside of China after joining the Bandwidth Alliance,” said Alex Chen, Alibaba Cloud Senior Director of Product Management. “Alibaba Cloud’s initiative of the elimination of ‘request fees’ is an industry game changer. The combined solution will pass on massive savings to our customers, and at the same time, eliminate complexity in managing storage cost.”

Alibaba Cloud continues to champion millions of businesses in more than 21 regions and countries through world-class infrastructure, advanced analytics tools, and a thriving ecosystem. Its hybrid cloud model services enterprises, developers, and government organizations around the world, and makes them a valuable partner within the Bandwidth Alliance.

Cloudflare has long had an international presence, with co-location facilities in 200 cities across more than 90 countries, including China.

Cloudflare also recently partnered with Cherry Servers, a provider of bare metal cloud services in Europe, as part of the Bandwidth Alliance.

To learn more about Cloudflare and the Bandwidth Alliance, please check out the resources below.

• Bandwidth Alliance
• Bandwidth Alliance Expansion Blog
• Cloudflare Network Map

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “explore,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words, or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements expressed or implied in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans and objectives for the Bandwidth Alliance, the expected functionality and performance of our products, our technological development, future operations, growth, initiatives, or strategies, and comments made by our CEO and others. Our actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to, risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on March 3, 2020, as well as other filings that we may make from time to time with the SEC.

The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.

About Cloudflare

Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare’s platform protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures 2018 list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2019. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, San Jose, CA, Seattle, WA, Washington, D.C., Lisbon, London, Munich, Beijing, Singapore, and Sydney.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200324005140/en/

Contact

Daniella Vallurupalli
press@cloudflare.com

Source : Cloudflare, Inc.

KAGOSHIMA CITY ADDS FOREIGN LANGUAGE SUBTITLES TO MUSIC VIDEO "MAGMA CITY KAGOSHIMA: LIFE IN CITY WITH ACTIVE VOLCANO"

KAGOSHIMA, Japan, Mar. 25, 2020 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ -- 

Kagoshima City now presents a music video in several foreign languages for overseas viewers to commemorate the City's 130th anniversary. The music video has been released on YouTube to promote the City's new theme song "Kagoshima into the Future", and attractions of the City.

YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX2rzPTonD8 *English/Chinese (traditional & simplified)/Korean/Thai/Vietnamese subtitles are available.

(Photo1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100580/202003198267/_prw_PI1lg_It8j4Qk0.png)

(Photo2: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100580/202003198267/_prw_PI2fl_QMH0hj1V.png)

Kagoshima City's theme song, "Kagoshima into the Future" This song, released in November 2019, portrays some of the great points that showcase Kagoshima City starting with the symbols of Kagoshima, the active volcano Sakurajima and the scenic and tranquil Kinko Bay. It conveys the abundant nature of the City, the strength that spurred the modernization of Japan, and the splendor the City offers to international tourists.

The music video shows the City's beautiful sceneries, starting with Sakurajima volcano, and highlights many attractions of the City.

Composer & Arranger: Ryo Yoshimata (born in Kagoshima City): https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202003198267-O3-UJJQ0XKx

An introduction to Kagoshima City
Kagoshima City is located at the southern end of Kyushu Island in Japan. It is a unique place where approximately 600,000 people are living with the active volcano Sakurajima, which towers above the downtown area across Kagoshima Bay (Kinko Bay).

The City is called "the Naples of the Orient" as the volcano view from the City resembles that of its sister city Naples, Italy.

(Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100580/202003198267/_prw_PI4lg_vxhPg8ww.jpg)

Emblem and Statement of Kagoshima City: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100580/202003198267/_prw_PI5fl_bExjDwf6.jpg

SOURCE: Kagoshima City

AM Best affirms New Zealand’s BNZ Life Credit Ratings as excellent

KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a’ of BNZ Life Insurance Limited (BNZ Life) New Zealand.

The stable outlook of these Credit Ratings reflect BNZ Life’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorised as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

In addition, the ratings factor in a neutral impact from the company’s ultimate ownership by National Australia Bank Limited, according to a statement.

BNZ Life’s balance sheet strength assessment is supported by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, which remains at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio and a highly liquid investment portfolio, with focus on cash and high quality fixed income instruments.

While the company has exhibited a high dividend payout ratio over the past five years, earnings retention has remained sufficient to support current business growth and maintain the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalisation.

BNZ Life has a track record of strong operating performance, demonstrated by a five-year average return-on-equity ratio of 29 per cent (fiscal-years 2015-2019). AM Best expects a robust pricing strategy and steady revenue growth to support the maintenance of the strong operating performance assessment over the medium term.

BNZ Life is a small to medium-sized insurer in New Zealand’s life insurance industry, with a market share of approximately five per cent based on 2019 gross written premiums, and AM Best views the company as having a neutral business profile.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. More details at www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

PRA Health Sciences launches COVID-19 Monitoring Program

KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 -- PRA Health Sciences recently announced the commercial availability of the COVID-19 Monitoring Program, a mobile app-driven, tiered initiative.

According to a statement, the programme allows employers, payers, providers and health systems to track the health and wellbeing of individuals who may be asymptomatic, exposed or diagnosed with COVID-19 during the pandemic.

Based on an individual’s COVID-19 disease status, they are assigned to one of three groups, namely the educational, quarantine and indepth monitoring programme.

By downloading the programme’s app on their personal mobile devices, participants will be able to report key health metrics related to COVID-19, such as body temperature, heart rate and pulse oximetry.

In addition, participants report on symptoms of COVID-19 like shortness of breath, fatigue and changes in coughing.

Participants also benefit from PRA’s nurse-led clinical call centre staff, who monitor the information reported via the app on a daily basis. The trained staff can address physical symptoms, as well as the social and psychological impacts they may be experiencing.

More details at https://www.careinnovations.com/contact/

-- BERNAMA

GUOTAI JUNAN INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES 2019 ANNUAL RESULTS

Total Revenue Reaches New Peak despite the market condition,

Total Dividends Increase by 27% YoY¹


HONG KONG, March 23 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (“Guotai Junan International”, “the Group” or “the Company”, Stock code: 1788.HK) today announced its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2019 (the “Year”). Benefitting from good performance in debt capital markets, equity capital markets , brokerage, asset management, fixed income market making and investment, during the Year, the Group recorded a total revenue of HKD4,246 million approximately, achieved the historic high and increased by 40% YOY¹. The profit attributable to shareholders amounted to HKD895 million, representing a YOY¹ growth of approximately 12%.

The Board recommended that the payout ratio rise to 57% with an annual dividend of HKD0.062 per share (Final Dividend of HKD0.02 per share), where total dividends increased by 27% YOY¹ during the Year.





Note: 1) Year over Year;

Dr. Yim Fung, Chairman and CEO Talks about operating results and  shares his future outlook (Chinese Version):
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3If80Bsd87jZ2BRuiLVa2Q

Jeff Lee, Executive Director and CFO Introduces 2019's Financials (Chinese Version):
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/dc09e0d7SURTrcsbA_EGsQ

Revenue Structure: Balanced and Diversified

While the Group’s total revenue of 2019 reached record high again, the revenue structure has become more balanced. During the Year, the fee and commission income, interest income and investment income accounted for 33%, 36% and 31% of the total revenue, respectively. Among the investment income, the coupon of fixed income accounted for 20% of the total revenue, and trading income recorded by mark-to-market accounted for 11%. The definitions of the above three income categories are listed below:



Fee and Commission Income Achieved Record High, Increasing by 26% despite Downward Market

In recent years, the Group has adopted strategic adjustment to improve risk-adjusted return on capital. Although in 2019 the Hong Kong capital market has been affected by Sino-US trade conflict and local social unrest as well as the year-on-year decrease of trading volume and securities financing, the Group’s fee and commission income has greatly increased by 26% to HKD1,419 million, achieved a record high. The income of brokerage, corporate finance and asset management have increased by 17%, 36% and 118% YOY, respectively.

Enhanced Risk Management to Deal with the Market Uncertainties

In 2019, Sino-US trade conflict and social unrest in Hong Kong have brought constant impact on the financial markets. Under prudent risk management and information disclosure, the Group increased the provision for financial assets for fiscal year 2019 to better cope with the potential risks in the future in a forward looking perspective.

Expanded Wealth Management Platform, in which Derivatives Warrants Enriched High Net Worth Clients’ Portfolios

During the Year, the Group’s wealth management platform has continuously attracted high-quality clients, which boosted the securities trading activities and brokerage income increased by 17% YOY to HKD531 million, among which commission fee from securities trading rose by 23% to HKD453 million. In November 2019, the Company became the 3^rd Chinese licensed market participant on issuing listed structured products and launched its Derivative Warrants and Callable Bull / Bear Contracts products. The new products provide investment solutions catering to clients with different risk appetites and have received wide recognition from the industry.

Investment Banking Business (“Corporate Finance”) Remained Its Leading Position

During the Year, the Group has maintained its leading role in debt capital markets in Hong Kong, while its underwriting fee has increased to HKD594 million by 23% YOY. Both the number of completed underwriting deals and the amount of raised funds in primary debt securities market achieved record high, with a total of 189 debt issuances (2018: 142), successfully assisting corporates to raise funds of nearly HKD423.3 billion (2018: HKD319.7 billion) in bond market. The Company was ranked 2nd and 4th respectively in the Bloomberg’s Asia (ex-Japan) G3 Currency Corporate High-Yield Bond Underwritten League Table in terms of number of deals and amount underwritten in Chinese US dollar-denominated bond issuance market.

During the Year, the Group’s income arising from the equity capital markets increased significantly by 74% year-on-year to approximately HK$136 million. The Group explored in major sectors including energy, real estate, property management and finance, completed 8 IPO sponsorship projects and 31 equity underwriting projects in primary and secondary market, assisting corporation raising funds of approximately HK$44.11 billion in total. According to Dealogic’s data, the Company was ranked 4th in the market in terms of the amount of IPO sponsors deals.

The First Chinese Securities Firm Entered the Vietnam Market

At the end of 2019, the Group completed the strategic investment acquisition of Vietnam Investment Securities Company (“IVS”). In this transaction, the Company subscribed for the new shares of IVS at the price which was close to its net assets and became its substantial shareholder. IVS is a Vietnam-based financial institution listed on the Hanoi Stock Exchange. Its major businesses include securities brokerage, securities research and securities investment advisory, etc. Since December 2019, clients of Guotai Junan International were able to invest in companies listed in Vietnam through the Company’s brokerage service and obtain the timely information in regard of Vietnam market and economy in research reports provided by the Company. The Group considered that the acquisition of IVS would offer the Group’s clients with richer investment choices, and expected to further optimize the Group’s existing business structure, which would help the Company further expand the business in Southeast Asia after its footprints in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as grasp the growing opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative.

Global Credit Ratings Remained Stable

In 2019, despite the unfavorable factors in the market, the Company has gained continuing recognition from global rating agencies. Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s respectively reaffirmed the Company’s “BBB+” and “Baa2” long-term issuer rating with a stable outlook, which stood out from the peers in Hong Kong. Moody’s emphasized in its early-2020 report that the Company had a transparent business model and followed prudent risk control procedures.

Outlook

Since the beginning of 2020, affected by factors including COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth in global market might face various challenges. Nonetheless, in the medium to long term, with the continuous liberation of capital market, the more developed manufacturing sector and the significant breakthroughs in technology industry, Chinese economic growth is still expected with enlarged scale of Chinese corporates’ investments and financing as well as emerging demand for wealth management of high-net-worth clients.

While facing difficulties, Guotai Junan International will further strengthen its capabilities in wealth management services and global asset allocations, offering one-stop comprehensive investment and financing solutions. Meanwhile, the Group will adhere to its core objective to increase risk adjusted return on capital and reward the clients and investors for their long-term support with a steady, sustained and high compound growth.

-End-

About Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited

Guotai Junan International is the market leader and first mover for internationalization of Chinese Securities Company. The Company is the first Chinese securities broker to list on the Main Board of The Hong Kong Stock Exchange by way of initial public offering. Based in Hong Kong, the Company provides diversified integrated financial services. The core services include: wealth management, brokerage, investment banking, loans and financing, asset management and financial products.

The Company is one of the constituents of HSCI, Hang Seng Composite LargeCap & MidCap Index, FTSE HK index and FTSE HK ex H share index. Guotai Junan International has been assigned “Baa2 / Prime-2” and “BBB+ / A-2” rating from Moody and Standard & Poor respectively.

The controlling shareholder, Guotai Junan Securities Company Limited (Stock Code: 601211.SS; 2611.HK), is the comprehensive financial provider with a long-term, sustainable and overall leading position in the Chinese securities industry. Backed by strong operational support, the Company will be able to further explore the HK and the Asia-Pacific market, aiming to become an important financial institution with market influence in the region.

For more information about Guotai Junan International:

• Official website: http://www.gtjai.com

• 2020 corporate video: https://v.qq.com/x/page/a3047lc1je0.html

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200320005285/en/

Contact

Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited
Jason Yan and Steven Chen
Tel: 2509 5487, 2509 2604

Source : Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited

RADISYS UNVEILS ENGAGE VIDEO ASSISTANT - WORLD'S FIRST AI-POWERED VIDEO BOT

Radisys' Engage Video Assistant - the World's First AI-powered Video Bot (Photo: Business Wire)


Provides unique digital user experience for ecommerce, consumer brand engagement and customer service

HILLSBORO, Ore., March 19 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Radisys® Corporation, a global leader of open telecom solutions, today announced the global availability of the Radisys Engage Video Assistant (EVA), the world’s first app-less AI-powered 3-in-1 (video, voice, text) bot for digital customer interactions. The EVA empowers customer support, sales and marketing teams to significantly enhance the customer experience by delivering greater personalization that drives customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction with the cost savings of automation.

Customers can access the EVA to interact visually with sales professionals, subject-matter-experts, brand ambassadors, brand influencers, and customer care agents – simply by dialing a regular customer support number, using a Video over LTE (ViLTE) capable 4G/LTE or 5G smartphone, or by clicking a link on the website with no download required. The EVA can also be integrated with mobile apps. EVA’s powerful AI engine determines the customer’s intent and delivers the right information, and when required it supports the transition of the bot interaction to live agents to ensure a consistent and seamless customer experience and the most cost-effective use of live agents.

As a white label solution, the EVA offers service providers a platform with flexible deployment options, either in-network or accessible from the cloud. It enables new revenue streams by providing Video Call Bot-as-a-Service for call centers, SMBs and large enterprise customers, and it can reduce contact centers’ costs by automating interactions – like how-to interactions or sophisticated troubleshooting – that are underserved by voice or text bots alone.

Key Takeaways

• Today’s technologies provide tools that can control and improve the digital customer experience by creating self-service customer engagement. However, while chatbots, voice-enabled digital assistants, and other similar automation technologies are enabling businesses to achieve cost-effective scalability and agility, they lack a human touch needed for a satisfactory customer experience.
• The Engage Video Assistant application allows service providers, call centers and businesses to:
  • Humanize existing calls and interactive mobile or voice apps with video while maintaining an authentic visual brand persona.
  • Create video FAQs for new product launches or common customer support issues.
  • Enhance existing bots and cumbersome interactive voice response (IVR) solutions.
  • Scale influencers and brand ambassadors to unprecedented levels through personalized customer interactions.
  • Engage customers at their time of choice – day or night, weekday or holiday – with personalized video interactions.
• Engage Video Assistant is deployed by Reliance Jio, the world’s largest VoLTE service provider, serving 370 million subscribers in India and helping its business customers to enhance their customer service, reduce their customer support cost, and enhance agent productivity.

“Radisys’ app-less calling experience enables businesses and service providers to offer an unprecedented in-call experience to their customers,” said Alan Quayle, independent consultant and founder, TADHack and TADHack Summit. “Its ease of integration lowers customer support costs; and improves productivity by helping customers get what they need faster, with a personal touch.”

“Video is a proven way to create greater immersion, increase click-throughs, and convert connections to purchases,” said Al Balasco, vice president, communications solutions, Radisys. “Engage Video Assistant is the first digital engagement bot application to combine video, voice and text seamlessly to provide ubiquitous and customizable brand and customer service reach for B2B and B2C customer interactions anywhere, anytime.”

About Radisys

Radisys is a global leader in open telecom solutions and services. Its disaggregated platforms and integration services leverage open reference architectures and standards combined with open software and hardware, enabling service providers to drive open digital transformation. Radisys offers an end-to-end solutions portfolio from digital end points, to disaggregated and open access and core solutions, to immersive digital applications and engagement platforms. Its world-class and experienced network services organization delivers full lifecycle services to help service providers build and operate highly scalable and high-performance networks at optimum total cost of ownership. For more information, visit www.Radisys.com.

Radisys® is a registered trademark of Radisys. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Contact

Nereus for Radisys
Lori Mesecke, +1-503-459-9150
lmesecke@nereus-worldwide.com

Source : Radisys