arta-techfin-partners-with-atlanfic-technology-to-revolutionize-licensed-investment-manager,-family-office-business-operations,-resolve-pain-points

ARTA TechFin partners with Atlanfic Technology to revolutionize licensed investment manager, family office business operations, resolve pain points

 

ARTA TechFin (00279.HK) (“ARTA”) and Atlanfic Technology (“Atlanfic”), a FinTech solution provider, today announced a strategic partnership which will offer licensed investment managers and family offices a SaaS-based total, automated, anywhere asset management solution.

The partnership aims to standardize current fragmented financial data structures and automate labour-intensive and manually-based front-to-back business workflow. The product will enable investment managers to save cost and time on business management and reporting, focusing on what they do best: investment management and capital raising. Key advantages will include:

  • Cost-efficient: full front-to-back-office workflow in one SaaS solution; goodbye to multiple systems and fees
  • Automated: replace manual and repetitive processes, earn more from instant savings on working time, office space, staff headcount
  • Anytime/Anywhere: access real-time reports and workflow status for managers, investors, stakeholders; no more delays in update and reporting
  • ESG: reduce carbon-footprint, enhance investor transparency, make starting fund management business more accessible

Technology research, development, and engineering at Atlanfic will be led by Mr. Guo Dan (“Guo”). Mr Guo was one of the founding members of Baidu, Inc in 2000, having served as Senior Director heading Baidu’s Engineering Department. Guo said today: “Atlanfic aspires to resolve clients’ pain points and improve the user experience through technology innovation such as data structuring, process automation and big data analytics”.

Mr. Eddie Lau, Chief Executive Officer of ARTA TechFin said today, “ARTA TechFin aspires to build the next generation of financial services. This ARTA-Atlanfic partnership forms the foundation of revolutionary transformation for our clients. ARTA initiatives will also include blockchain development and applications across brokerage, asset management and insurance. We hope to offer our clients a ludic and immersive experience in managing their wealth”.

The service is expected to be officially launched in the second quarter of 2022.

ARTA TechFin. BREAK BARRIERS FOR GREATNESS 

ARTA TechFin aspires to build the next generation of financial services, artfully combining traditional business whilst using technology to create a new financial experience for our clients. From automation to blockchain, ARTA TechFin will use technology to transform the traditional financial industry and expand into new services, products and experiences. By placing Technology in Finance (“TechFin”) at the heart of everything we are building, we will consistently change, disrupt, challenge and innovate the financial services industry. In the process we will deliver richer, more creative, more immersive and more valuable client experiences.

For more information, please visit https://www.artatechfin.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE ARTA TechFin

the-toronto-dominion-bank-announces-automatic-termination-of-automatic-share-purchase-plan

The Toronto-Dominion Bank Announces Automatic Termination of Automatic Share Purchase Plan

 

The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) (TSX: TD) announced today that the automatic share purchase plan established under TD’s normal course issuer bid (NCIB) has automatically terminated pursuant to its terms.

During the quarter ended January 31, 2022, 7.5 million common shares were repurchased for cancellation under the NCIB and, during the period from February 1, 2022 until February 28, 2022, 13.5 million common shares were repurchased for cancellation under the NCIB.  In aggregate, as of February 28, 2022, TD repurchased a total 21 million common shares under the NCIB, at an average price of $104.50 per share for a total aggregate price of $2,195 million.

The NCIB remains in effect on the same terms and subject to the same restrictions as previously disclosed.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

From time to time, the Bank (as defined in this document) makes written and/or oral forward-looking statements, including in this document, in other filings with Canadian regulators or the United States (U.S.) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and in other communications. In addition, representatives of the Bank may make forward-looking statements orally to analysts, investors, the media and others. All such statements are made pursuant to the “safe harbour” provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements made in this document, the Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“2021 MD&A”) in the Bank’s 2021 Annual Report under the headings “Economic Summary and Outlook” and “The Bank’s Response to COVID-19”, under the headings “Key Priorities for 2022” and “Operating Environment and Outlook” for the Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking segments, and under the heading “Focus for 2022” for the Corporate segment, and in other statements regarding the Bank’s objectives and priorities for 2022 and beyond and strategies to achieve them, the regulatory environment in which the Bank operates, the Bank’s anticipated financial performance, and the potential economic, financial and other impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “will”, “would”, “should”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “plan”, “goal”, “target”, “may”, and “could”.

By their very nature, these forward-looking statements require the Bank to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, general and specific. Especially in light of the uncertainty related to the physical, financial, economic, political, and regulatory environments, such risks and uncertainties – many of which are beyond the Bank’s control and the effects of which can be difficult to predict – may cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements. Risk factors that could cause, individually or in the aggregate, such differences include: strategic, credit, market (including equity, commodity, foreign exchange, interest rate, and credit spreads), operational (including technology, cyber security, and infrastructure), model, insurance, liquidity, capital adequacy, legal, regulatory compliance and conduct, reputational, environmental and social, and other risks. Examples of such risk factors include the economic, financial, and other impacts of pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic; general business and economic conditions in the regions in which the Bank operates; geopolitical risk; the ability of the Bank to execute on long-term strategies and shorter-term key strategic priorities, including the successful completion of acquisitions and dispositions, business retention plans, and strategic plans; technology and cyber security risk (including cyber-attacks or data security breaches) on the Bank’s information technology, internet, network access or other voice or data communications systems or services; model risk; fraud activity; the failure of third parties to comply with their obligations to the Bank or its affiliates, including relating to the care and control of information, and other risks arising from the Bank’s use of third-party service providers; the impact of new and changes to, or application of, current laws and regulations, including without limitation tax laws, capital guidelines and liquidity regulatory guidance and the bank recapitalization “bail-in” regime; regulatory oversight and compliance risk; increased competition from incumbents and new entrants (including Fintechs and big technology competitors); shifts in consumer attitudes and disruptive technology; exposure related to significant litigation and regulatory matters; ability of the Bank to attract, develop, and retain key talent; changes to the Bank’s credit ratings; changes in currency and interest rates (including the possibility of negative interest rates); increased funding costs and market volatility due to market illiquidity and competition for funding; Interbank Offered Rate (IBOR) transition risk; critical accounting estimates and changes to accounting standards, policies, and methods used by the Bank; existing and potential international debt crises; environmental and social risk (including climate change); and the occurrence of natural and unnatural catastrophic events and claims resulting from such events. The Bank cautions that the preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible risk factors and other factors could also adversely affect the Bank’s results. For more detailed information, please refer to the “Risk Factors and Management” section of the 2021 MD&A, as may be updated in subsequently filed quarterly reports to shareholders and news releases (as applicable) related to any events or transactions discussed under the heading “Significant Acquisitions” or “Significant and Subsequent Events and Pending Acquisitions” in the relevant MD&A, which applicable releases may be found on www.td.com. All such factors, as well as other uncertainties and potential events, and the inherent uncertainty of forward-looking statements, should be considered carefully when making decisions with respect to the Bank. The Bank cautions readers not to place undue reliance on the Bank’s forward-looking statements.

Material economic assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained in this document are set out in the 2021 MD&A under the headings “Economic Summary and Outlook” and “The Bank’s Response to COVID-19”, under the headings “Key Priorities for 2022” and “Operating Environment and Outlook” for the Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking segments, and under the heading “Focus for 2022” for the Corporate segment, each as may be updated in subsequently filed quarterly reports to shareholders.

Any forward-looking statements contained in this document represent the views of management only as of the date hereof and are presented for the purpose of assisting the Bank’s shareholders and analysts in understanding the Bank’s financial position, objectives and priorities and anticipated financial performance as at and for the periods ended on the dates presented, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Bank does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by or on its behalf, except as required under applicable securities legislation.

gaskets-and-seals-market-worth-$744-billion-by-2028:-grand-view-research,-inc.

Gaskets and Seals Market Worth $74.4 Billion by 2028: Grand View Research, Inc.

 

The global gaskets and seals market size is expected to reach USD 74.4 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 3.6% from 2020 to 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing demand for these products in fluid transfer applications in semi-conductor manufacturing is expected to drive the overall market growth.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

  • The gaskets segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 4.0% from 2020 to 2028 owing to the rising product demand in the chemical processing industry to address environment concerns regarding emissions and to enhance industrial efficiency.
  • Seals amounted to a revenue of USD 34.8 billion in 2018 due to high product demand in microelectronics and semi-conductor processing applications in the growing electrical and electronics industry.
  • The demand for gaskets and seals in the automotive industry is expected to value USD 25.2 billion by 2028 on account of their extensive use in the production and assembly of powertrain, chassis, exhaust manifolds, and other components.
  • The market in China makes the largest revenue contribution to the Asia Pacific gasket market, accounting for more than 55.0% of the share in 2018. This is mainly attributed to the extensive use of the product for automotive and electronics manufacturing.
  • The gaskets and seals market is characterized by the presence of numerous players exhibiting a vast logistics network featuring a notable number of distributors and service centers.

Read 174-page market research report, “Gaskets And Seals Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Application (Automotive, Electrical & Electronics), By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 – 2028“, published by Grand View Research.

Gaskets and Seals Market Growth & Trends

Gaskets and seals are critical components in complex mechanical systems in the manufacturing sector to reduce environmental impact and prevent personal injuries due to fugitive emissions. Thus, the rising environmental concerns owing to industrial emissions, coupled with implications of stringent emission standards, is expected to positively influence the market growth.

Key industry participants are developing advanced engineered sealing solutions with a corrugated metal core combined with compressible sealing element of various materials. These products are hence suitable for use in harsh operating conditions such as corrosive chemicals, extreme temperature, and thermal cycling. Moreover, advanced sealing systems and components enhance the production efficiency and sustainability of plants, there enabling greater resource efficiency.

The industry exhibits a minimal threat of substitution due to unavailability of commercially viable alternatives for sealing solutions. However, rapidly rising penetration of Form-In-Place (FIP) gaskets in automotive and electronic manufacturing is expected to result in the internal substitution of their metal counterparts across applications.

Key industry participants are developing superior material technology, thereby enhancing their sealing product offering. In addition, they are employing competitive pricing strategies and are offering complete field support and engineering assistance to gain a competitive edge and maintain their stronghold in the market.

Gaskets and Seals Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global gaskets and seals market on the basis of product, application, end use, and region:

Gaskets and Seals Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2028)

  • Gaskets
    • Metallic
    • Semi-metallic
    • Non-metallic
  • Seals
    • Shaft Seals
    • Molded Packing & Seals
    • Motor Vehicle Seals
    • Others

Gaskets and Seals Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2028)

  • Automotive
  • Electrical & Electronics
  • Marine & Rail
  • Industrial & Manufacturing
  • Aerospace
  • Oil & Gas
  • Chemicals & Petrochemicals
  • Others

Gaskets and Seals End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2028)

  • OEMs
  • Aftermarket

Gaskets and Seals Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 – 2028)

  • North America
    • U.S.
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • U.K.
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • India
    • South Korea
  • Central & South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
  • Middle East & Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates

List of Key Players of Gaskets and Seals Market

  • AB SKF
  • Dana Limited
  • Flowserve Corporation
  • Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH & Co.
  • KG Smiths Group Plc
  • Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
  • Cooper Standard
  • Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC
  • Flowserve Corporation
  • Crown Gaskets Pvt. Ltd.

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

  • Food Processing Seals Market – The global food processing seals market size is expected to reach USD 3.5 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 2.5%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increased production of processed and packaged food items across the globe is anticipated to propel the market growth over the forecast period.
  • Carbon Fiber Tapes Market – The global carbon fiber tapes market size is expected to reach USD 4.9 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 13.4%, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. The rapidly rising demand for advanced materials with superior strength to weight ratio in the transportation sector is expected to bolster the market over the forecast period.
  • Epoxy Composite Market – The global epoxy composite market size is expected to reach USD 55.97 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 8.3% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing usage of advanced lightweight functional materials in various industries, such as automotive & transportation, aerospace & defense, and wind energy, is expected to drive the market.

Browse through Grand View Research’s Specialty Glass, Ceramic & Fiber Industry Research Reports.

xoxoday-launches-employee-appreciation-week-(eaw)-celebrations:-an-initiative-to-make-employee-appreciation-an-organization-culture

Xoxoday launches Employee Appreciation Week (EAW) Celebrations: An initiative to make employee appreciation an organization culture

 

Employee Appreciation Day (Mar 4) is just around the corner. It is that time of the year again when employees take center stage. This year, Xoxoday is on a mission to spread awareness and help create a culture of everyday recognition within the organization. To enable the same, Xoxoday has launched a week-long ((Feb 28th – Mar 4th) celebration: Employee Appreciation Week (#EAW2022).

Xoxoday’s idea is to help every organization switch from “it is nice to appreciate employees once in a while” to “genuinely celebrating employees all year long.” Through this initiative, Xoxoday proposes to help HR, the culture custodians, make a splash on March 4th and beyond – by creating wow-worthy moments during the Employee Appreciation Week (Feb 28th – Mar 4th) that sets the tone for the rest of the year. To do so, they have created a curated tool kit that includes fresh ideas to celebrate employees, tools for empowering everyone to spread the spirit of gratitude, and enjoyable activities to engage and strengthen work relationships.

In order to spread the word about Employee Appreciation Day and to help organizations create a culture of appreciation, Xoxoday is inviting Co-founders, HR, and Culture Champions to join hands and make this Employee Appreciation Week a big success.

Manoj Agarwal, Co-founder, Xoxoday, says, “Employees are the biggest assets of any organization. A daily dose of appreciation is a step towards acknowledging their value “

goldpac-group-promote-the-super-sim-card-listed-in-macau

Goldpac Group Promote the super SIM card listed in Macau

 

A new generation of SIM card products – the SuperSIM was recently launched by China Telecom (Macau). The SuperSIM utilizes financial-grade security microprocessors developed by Guoxin Micro and receives technical support from Goldpac Group (0335.HK), a leader in financial IC cards.

After obtaining the GSMA SAS-UP certification in June 2021, Goldpac Group has begun to rapidly realize its commercial implementation through in-depth cooperation with business partners. These partners effectively demonstrate the efficient business execution of the Goldpac Group and is a testament to the Group’s leading technology position.

The SuperSIM card is a unique SIM card that supports both communication and large-capacity data storage. The SIM card and SD card functions are combined into one. In addition to basic communication functions, the SuperSIM offers the advantages of a large, secure storage, and convenience of data portability. It provides subscribers with expanded storage space, secure data storage, and easy handset migration.

It should be noted that the SuperSIM and Goldpac’s financial IC card products use the same type of secure microprocessor chip. This microprocessor chip has obtained national cryptographic certification, and demonstrates high levels of security. Supported by this finance-level chip technology, the SuperSIM can be innovatively applied to 5G, digital payment, identity authentication, transportation, social security and other use cases enabling broader prospects.

As a leader of IC cards in finance, transportation and social security, Goldpac Group has accumulated a wealth of technical experience and has consolidated its competitive advantages in digital currency, security chips and other resource integration and outstanding service capabilities.  The deployment of the SuperSIM is an important step for Goldpac to extend the technical strength it has gained over the past three decades for its financial IC cards to the field of telecommunications. The launch of the China Telecom (Macao) project confirms that Goldpac Group fully possesses the qualifications and technical strengths required to develop its telecom business. On this basis, Goldpac Group will be able to integrate telecommunications opportunities with its existing business areas. Pushing the integration of multiple applications further and driving product innovation in digital currency, finance, transportation, and social security, which offer great potential in the future.

Especially in the rapidly developing field of digital currency, Goldpac Group has independently developed and launched a series of products such as digital wallets and self-service accounting opening terminals. Starting from the telecom business, the next step is to store digital currencies and other information within a SIM card, leveraging encrypted storage at the chip layer, realizing the safe storage of digital assets, providing identification and authentication security and creating digital currency payment products based on the SuperSIM.

Looking towards the future, Goldpac Group will further promote the multi-application integration development of telecommunications, digital currency, finance, social security, and transportation, providing a powerful boost to the information infrastructure construction of the digital society.

niyo-raises-us$100-million-in-series-c-round-led-by-accel-and-lightrock

Niyo raises US$100 million in Series C round led by Accel and Lightrock

 

Niyo, the consumer neo-banking platform, has raised $100 million in its Series C round of funding. The company will be using the funds to accelerate its mission to transform banking in India, and to provide convenient and hassle-free financial services to digital native customers.

This Series C round of funding was led by Accel & Lightrock India with participation from Beams Fintech Fund. Existing investors Prime Venture Partners, JS Capital are also participating in this round along with others.

Niyo offers digital savings accounts and other banking services in partnership with banks. The company currently serves about 4 million customers across its banking and wealth management products with over 10,000 new users added daily to its platform. Niyo is processing over US$3 billion of transactions making it the largest consumer neo-banking platform in India.

The company will utilize the funds for product innovation, marketing and branding, increasing its distribution footprint, and hiring top talent across functions. Niyo is also looking to provide comprehensive financial services to over 30 million users through both organic and inorganic expansion over time making banking a delightful and secure experience.

Niyo has launched India’s first fully digital salary account this month and is in the process of launching personal loans, credit cards, integrated forex. and other banking products in the next three months. The company was founded in 2015 by Vinay Bagri and Virender Bisht who are veterans in the banking and technology domains.

Avendus Capital was the exclusive financial advisor to Niyo on the transaction.

Niyo Co-founder and CEO Vinay Bagri said, “We have always strived to offer tangible value and a delightful experience to our customers. In the process, we are transforming the way India banks. We are excited to partner with Accel, Lightrock & Beams on our journey as we look to accelerate the mission of taking pathbreaking digital banking products to millions of users in India and positively impact their financial well-being.”

Anand Daniel, partner at Accel, said, “We are excited to back the fastest growing neo-bank in India, Niyo. Vinay, Viren and team have built a fantastic product with a clear value prop for customers which is reflected in their phenomenal growth. We look forward to partnering with Niyo in changing the way India banks.”

Ashish Garg, Principal at Lightrock India said, “We are extremely excited about the potential of Niyo in re-imagining the banking experience for millions of users in India across the income pyramid. Neobanks are an emerging asset class in India and believe that the quality of Niyo’s team, customer understanding and technology stack will enable them emerge as the leader of the space.”

Niyo Co-founder and CTO Virender Bisht said, “We are seeing massive tailwinds for digital financial products since COVID. Launched less than a year ago, our first-of-a-kind product offering “NiyoX” is democratizing the superior digital banking experience for users, and has witnessed tremendous user adoption. With this raise, we aim to expand the product suite for our customers and meet their growing expectations.”

xoxoday-raises-$30mn-from-giift-and-apis-partners-to-help-businesses-make-every-day-of-their-growth-story-rewarding

Xoxoday raises $30mn from Giift and Apis Partners to help businesses make every day of their growth story rewarding

 

Giift, a leading provider of loyalty management solutions, around the globe and Apis Partners, an ESGI-native global private equity and venture capital asset manager, backed by Apis Growth Fund II, a private equity fund managed by Apis Partners LLP, announced today that it has acquired a significant strategic interest in Xoxoday, a fintech disruptor in the rewards, incentives and payout space. The partnership included both primary and secondary capital components, and the collaboration will enable both Giift and Xoxoday to enlarge their service offerings and collectively accelerate growth globally. The Apis Group (“Apis”) is an ESGI-native global private equity and venture capital asset manager that supports growth-stage financial services and financial infrastructure businesses by providing them with catalytic growth equity capital.

Xoxoday provides technology infrastructure to enable businesses to automate rewards, incentives and payouts across the value chain. Xoxoday will use the US $30 million (225 crores INR) investment to fuel the next stage of growth in international markets and upgrade the technology infrastructure required to serve the next set of billion users.

It took a pandemic to expose the gaps in the way businesses engage with people. It is inevitable that businesses invest in systems that align people, delight customers, and empower their partners.

Xoxoday’s founders have been forerunners in creating solutions that the world has just started contemplating. Almost a decade ago, the four founders, Sumit KhandelwalManoj AgarwalAbhishek Kumar, and  Kushal Agrawal, began their entrepreneurial journey by solving the complex everyday problem of human motivation using technology. With a first-principles approach, they reimagined how rewards, incentives, and payouts should work via branded currency. Today, through its platform, Xoxoday enables rewards and incentives embedded and integrated in the flow of work across the value chain. Since different business contexts demand tailored solutions, Xoxoday has three SaaS offerings for the market.

  • Plum, a horizontal platform infrastructure, automating rewards, incentives, and payouts programs at scale from the flow of work.
  • Empuls, a vertical platform enabling organizations to build an engaged workplace, where everyone is aligned, motivated, empowered and connected.
  • Compass, a platform automating and gamifying sales incentives and commissions for sales teams.

Co-Founder and CEO of Giift Laurent Xatart commented, “Xoxoday is a unique and powerful loyalty platform for employee, sales and consumer rewards. Our partnership with Xoxoday will enable Giift to offer the most comprehensive engagement and loyalty solution available on the market, and represents a big step forward in our mission to create the global standard for the loyalty industry.”

Sumit Khandelwal, Co-founder & CEO Xoxoday, added“We firmly believe that growth compounds with the right people and right partners. With Giift and Apis Partners on board, I can only see growth upwards and onwards from here. Giift’s loyalty infrastructure and Xoxoday’s rewards infrastructure, together, cover the length and breadth of business use cases across the entire lifecycle for employees, channel partners, and consumers.”

Manoj Agarwal, Co-founder Xoxoday, says, “While we have been busy enabling rewards, it feels like we have been awarded today. However, it is not just us. The true architects of Xoxoday have been our customers, our employees, and partners, who are the ones rewarding us every day with their trust. I would like to thank our teams, customers & partners who have helped us grow. I am looking forward to working with the team at Giift and Apis Partners.”

Apis Partners Co-founder and Managing Partner Matteo Stefanel said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Xoxoday. It is rare to see a business with such a strong founding team and targeting such an under-invested opportunity. Xoxoday’s impressive and largely self-financed growth over the last decade is a testament to the sharp focus with which the team has been executing its plans.”

Udayan Goyal, Apis Partners Co-founder, and Managing Partner added: “Following Apis’ recent partnership with Giift, we are very happy to be expanding our efforts in the rewards and loyalty sector with Xoxoday. The space that Xoxoday occupies is becoming a necessity around the world for businesses, particularly as the world transitions to a hybrid work environment. The convergence with financial services further leverages Apis’ sector-specific expertise in fintech. We are excited to support them in the next phase of their growth.”

orbital-revolutionises-corporate-treasury-with-its-innovative-platform-that-combines-traditional-and-cryptocurrencies-alike

Orbital revolutionises corporate treasury with its innovative platform that combines traditional and cryptocurrencies alike

 

Today, Orbital announces the launch of its new platform – an industry-first product that bridges the gap between traditional finance and digital asset treasury solutions, facilitating a regulated, secure, and frictionless experience for multinational corporates.

By leveraging cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, Orbital takes treasury solutions into a new era – dramatically increasing speed of cross border payments and transactions, whilst at the same time substantially reducing costs, fees, and hold-ups of the traditional system.

The unique platform is a single point of access to a range of tools needed to run a modern treasury operation, including:
  • Multi-currency accounts (USD, EUR & GBP)
  • Foreign exchange
  • Global payments
  • Digital asset custody vaults (BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT plus more)
  • OTC trading
  • C2B crypto-commerce payment processing

Adoption of cryptocurrencies has been slow amongst corporates, held back by a lack of internal knowledge, differing risk appetite, and mistrust of what can appear to be a daunting field. Orbital solves this by being the first to give parity to traditional financial services and digital assets, and the first to be developed by a regulated service provider with equal expertise in transactional banking and digital assets.

Built by a team with hundreds of combined years of experience in financial services and payments technology, Orbital provides the quality of service, and strength of security demanded by enterprise businesses.

Commenting on the launch, Orbital CEO Chris Mason said: “In tandem with traditional financial services, digital assets represent the future of commerce. Orbital opens this world up to global corporations by integrating them seamlessly with their existing treasury operations.”

“Until now, multinationals had been forced to choose their crypto tools piecemeal from a range of providers – and to suffer the long onboarding and inefficient integrations that came with them.”

“Orbital is the solution: a fully-integrated treasury management platform that enables businesses to harness the power of cryptocurrency alongside the very best of traditional financial services.”

thinkzone-ventures-announces-thinkzone-fund-ii-with-$60-million-in-fund-size-and-the-largest-local-resources-in-vietnam

ThinkZone Ventures announces ThinkZone Fund II with $60 million in fund size and the largest local resources in Vietnam

 

ThinkZone Ventures announces ThinkZone Fund II with $60 million in fund size, the largest local venture capital fund in Vietnam thus far, to support the growth of Vietnamese startups.

In recent years, the Vietnam startup ecosystem has been more dynamic than ever, attracting a huge amount of investments in tech startups. In 2021, Vietnam recorded a total venture capital investment of up to 2.48 billion USD (according to a report by DealstreetAsia), nearly 24 times higher than 2016’s figure ($105 million). This number is expected to keep increasing in the coming years, as Bain & Company’s 2021 report predicts that Vietnam will be the country to have the highest growth of the Internet economy in Southeast Asia by 2030 (11 times higher than the current market size). This potential opens up great opportunities that attract domestic and foreign investors in Vietnamese startups, with a total of 108 investors in 2020 (3 times higher than 2016).

However, most of these venture capital funds come from abroad, with limited local resources to support Vietnamese startups. This also results in more complicated investment processes such as setting up a legal entity in Singapore, as well as legal processes for an investment license in other countries. Moreover, besides financial capital, startups also need lots of other support such as knowledge, experience, distribution channels, customer access and legal. These are the very advantages of local investors from Vietnam.

Stemming from those facts, ThinkZone II Fund was founded by ThinkZone Ventures and other notable Vietnamese conglomerate owners specialised in various verticals such as finance, retail, manufacturing, agriculture and F&B. With resources from the ecosystem of these conglomerates, ThinkZone II Fund can provide a huge amount of support to accelerate the growth of startups, and further to create sustainable development for the economy.

klarna-fuels-global-expansion-with-the-launch-of-rewards-program-and-pay-now-in-nine-new-markets

Klarna fuels global expansion with the launch of rewards program and Pay Now in nine new markets

 

Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments, and shopping service that helps consumers save time and money, be informed and in control, today announced its plans for the international expansion of two of Klarna’s fastest-growing products across nine of its key growth markets*. With the global growth of Klarna’s rewards program and the payment method Pay Now, which enables consumers to pay immediately and in full, Klarna will become the go-to for any type of purchase whilst also rewarding consumers for every payment. The further expansion of these products enables the company to serve a wide range of fast-growing verticals whilst driving consumer loyalty and engagement. Consumers in these markets will now be able to manage all of their payments, redeem their rewards and access a wide range of services and content in the Klarna App.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna, said: “With the introduction of Pay Now, Klarna will offer consumers in more markets the choice to pay immediately and in full, alongside our sustainable, interest-free Pay Later services. From large purchases to everyday essentials like mobility services and entertainment, Klarna provides consumers with maximal choice, control and flexibility in how they pay for every single purchase and rewards them for every payment they make on time.”

“With our rewards program, we help consumers get more out of every dollar they spend and actively encourage consumers to pay for their purchases on time, making money management fun and engaging.” said Camilla Giesecke, Chief Expansion Officer at Klarna. “Members of the rewards program have a 50% higher engagement with the Klarna App than non-members, demonstrating its effectiveness to build long-term loyalty and strengthening the Klarna App as a growth channel for our retailers.” 

How Klarna’s rewards program works

Since its launch in September 2020, Klarna’s rewards program has gained over 4 million members in the US and Australia, with 1 million members joining in the last quarter alone. Now, it is expanding to nine further Klarna growth markets.

Members of the rewards program earn “points” for every payment they make on time with Klarna, no matter whether they pay now, pay later or pay over time. The points can be redeemed in the Klarna App for rewards at world-class brands including H&M, Amazon, Walmart, Footlocker and many more. Members of the program also benefit from exclusive deals and gain early access to product drops from hand-picked merchants. As part of the international expansion of the rewards program, Klarna is also introducing “Missions”. Missions are small, engaging tasks that consumers can complete to earn points, aimed at encouraging consumers to discover different features in the Klarna App and take control of their finances.

How Pay Now works

Hand in hand with the international expansion of Klarna’s rewards program, Klarna is also launching its popular payment method “Pay Now” in nine Klarna markets as part of an entirely redesigned “one-click” checkout flow, enabling consumers to pay immediately and in full wherever Klarna is available. Consumers simply connect their existing card to their Klarna account and safely pay in full with just one click at every Klarna retailer.

The introduction of Pay Now comes as part of a new Klarna checkout flow, which will be implemented across all Klarna retailers resulting in a consistent, recognizable experience for consumers every time they select Klarna at checkout. At the heart of the new flow lies the review screen, which gives consumers a quick and transparent overview of their order, their payment schedule and chosen funding source. The consumer’s billing details will be pre-filled and their preferred payment option will be set as a default, enabling a one-click experience that saves time at every checkout.

The product expansion follows closely on the heels of the launch of the company’s all-in-one shopping app across 17 markets, which empowers consumers to shop with Klarna at any online store and is used by over 45 million consumers worldwide. These product developments are accelerating Klarna’s growth in new markets both on the consumer and the retailer side. Klarna has now surpassed the milestone of 1 million consumers in ItalySpain and France since the launch in Summer and Autumn 2020, where leading brands such as Lacoste, ba&sh, Samsung, Diesel, and H&M are among the most recent retailers to integrate Klarna’s technology.

*Notes to editors: availability of products per market

  • Klarna’s rewards program will soon be available in the UK, IrelandFranceItalySpainPortugalPolandCanada & New Zealand. 
  • Pay Now, which launched in the US and UK in 2021, will soon be accessible in AustraliaIrelandFranceItalySpainPortugalPolandCanada & New Zealand. 
  • Both products will become available across all Klarna markets over the course of 2022.