As Malaysia’s digital gig economy continues to grow, Workana, a leading freelancer platform, has partnered with Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB) to launch the Selangor Freelance Initiative (Inisiatif Selangor Freelance). The programme aims to accelerate the competitiveness of Selangorians by upskilling them with the necessary training to increase their employability.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get a daily dose of business and lifestyle news from NHA – News Hub Asia!
Malaysia’s gig economy is becoming increasingly relevant as the country’s unemployment grows — an Employee Provident Fund’s (EPF) 2019 study estimated that nearly 40% of the Malaysian workforce would be gig workers in the next five years, double the global average.
The Selangor Freelance Initiative is designed to raise awareness about the benefits of joining the digital gig economy, and aims to incentivise Selangorians to learn new skills.
As part of the programme, 5,000 Selangorians will go through a specialised freelancer training session by Workana that includes key lessons on digital freelancing best practices, how to make the most of one’s work as an independent talent, and how to leverage the Workana platform to generate income.
Participants will receive cash incentives and an enhanced Workana profile, confirming they are authenticated and able to produce 5-star work, further increasing their prospects of getting hired for freelance jobs locally and internationally.
YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin bin Shari, Menteri Besar Selangor who is also the Chairman of Board of Directors PNSBsaid, “Malaysia has not been spared from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we can see from the rising unemployment rate, which shot up to 4.5 per cent in 2020 from 3.3 per cent in 2019. It is fortunate that in these trying times, the gig economy has emerged with new opportunities to compete for jobs not just
locally, but also internationally. We hope that through this initiative, we can furnish Selangorians with the competitive edge needed to secure jobs on work platforms like Workana in order to reap the full benefits of the gig economy and earn an income.”
Tomas O’Farrell, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Workana, said, “We have seen our platform grow tenfold throughout the region in the first half of 2021 as compared to the same period last year, indicating that the gig economy is truly thriving in this part of the world. We are excited to help equip Selangorians with the necessary skills, tools, and knowledge to excel on platforms like Workana and secure more jobs while enjoying the flexibility and freedom enjoyed by all freelancers.”
All Malaysians who are at least 18 years old and reside in the state of Selangor are eligible to join the programme. They will be required to complete a series of training modules, sign up with Workana, and go through the onboarding process. Upon successful programme completion, the freelancers will receive immediate access to a paid project. Selangorians who are keen to take part of this initiative will be able to sign up at https://selangor.workana.com
Canopy Sands Development (“Canopy Sands”), a member of Prince Holding Group (“Prince Group”), one of Cambodia’s largest and fastest-growing conglomerates, has distributed care packages to M’Lop Tapang, a local non-governmental organisation as well as villagers living at Ong Village in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The outreach was part of Canopy Sands’ ongoing efforts to support local communities as Cambodia reopens for a post-pandemic recovery.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get a daily dose of business and lifestyle news from NHA – News Hub Asia!
The Canopy Sands team handed over 30 tons worth of food packs containing essentials such as rice, cooking oil and canned food during the outreach programme involving M’Lop Tapang and residents of Ong Village. Additionally, the donation to M’Lop Tapang also covered medical and hygiene products alongside educational aid like made-to-order school bags from the Indochina Starfish Foundation, a Cambodian charity that focuses on educational initiatives for the underprivileged children in Cambodia.
“We had several conversations with representatives from M’Lop Tapang and Ong Village to understand their specific needs before putting together these care packages. It is our sincere hope that ongoing programs like these will be of assistance and somewhat lessen the hardships of those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Khong Weng Fook, Managing Director of Canopy Sands.
M’Lop Tapang is one of the leading charitable organisations in Sihanoukville and currently works with more than 5,000 children in Sihanoukville providing a safe environment, medical care, education, training and safe employment, counseling, psycho-social support, family strengthening and protection from abuse. Ong Village is a settlement of over 200 families near the Ream City project by Canopy Sands.
Earlier in September, Prince Holding Group’s philanthropic arm, Prince Foundation, responded to a request for assistance from the Prey Nob district, Preah Sihanouk province, in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by donating 5,000 PPE suits, 1,000 rapid antigen test kits, and 4,500 litres of alcohol-based hand sanitiser. In the same month, Prince Foundation had also launched the Chen Zhi Scholarship in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), offering full tuition fees and stipends for 400 Cambodian university students via an investment of USD2 million over the coming seven years.
Through distributing essential aid via established NGOs and the local authorities, Canopy Sands is working to develop a constructive dialogue between local communities and the developer to ensure a productive long-term relationship. During the donation at Ong Village, the Ream Commune Chief, Lin Sarin, expressed his support for Ream City, hoping the project’s success will bring prosperity to his local community.
Canopy Sands is currently working on its 834-ha Ream City project, a multi-decade coastal development project working off a master plan issued by Singaporean urban consultancy Surbana Jurong that will involve construction efforts along sustainable real estate development principles.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated in October. Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer in Malaysian women, and it can be a daunting issue. Breast cancer affects approximately one in every twenty Malaysian women.
Female breast cancer accounts for one in every ten new malignancies diagnosed worldwide each year, and it is the most frequent disease in women in both developing and developed countries. It is also the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide.
According to the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report (MNCRR) 2012-2016, around 34 women out of 100,000 were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2012 and 2016, compared to approximately 31 women between 2007 and 2011.
Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia.
Men can also get breast cancer with a reported incidence of one per cent and are thought to behave similarly in both genders.
Cancer support groups can help patients, survivors, and caregivers cope, share personal experiences, and learn from one another in a secure setting.
Early detection and effective medical treatment have the potential to save lives. Don’t be scared to ask your doctors questions in order to better understand breast cancer and treatment alternatives.
It is important to differentiate between myths and facts about breast cancer. In this article, Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre’s Consultant Oncologist, Dr Malwinder Singh Sandhu addresses the subject and misconception; while Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA) President, Ms Ranjit Kaur shares the importance of support groups in relation to breast cancer support groups, role and benefits.
Dr Malwinder Singh Sandhu
Myth #1: A lump in the breast means you have breast cancer
Fact: Firstly, a lump in the breast does not mean it is cancer. Only 20 per cent of breast lumps are cancerous. The other 80 per cent of lumps are benign (non-cancerous) such as cysts and fibroadenoma. Some lumps come and go during a woman’s menstrual cycle. You should be worried if the lump is hard, not moveable, and not smooth. That is why we advocate monthly self-breast examinations.
Secondly, you can still get breast cancer without a palpable lump. This happens in early-stage cancers. This is another reason why regular screening mammogram is so important to detect early-stage cancers.
Myth #2: Women with breast cancer have a family history
Fact: Most women who have breast cancer have no family history of the same. However, women with a family history of breast cancer are in a higher risk group. There are only about 10% of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of this disease.
If you have a first degree relative with breast cancer: If you have a mother, daughter, or sister who developed breast cancer below the age of 50, you should consider some form of regular diagnostic breast imaging starting 10 years before the age of your relative’s diagnosis.
If you have a second degree relative with breast cancer: If you have had a grandmother or aunt who was diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk increases slightly, but it is not in the same risk category as those who have a first degree relative with breast cancer.
If you have multiple generations diagnosed with breast cancer on the same side of the family, or if there are several individuals who are first degree relatives to one another, or several family members diagnosed under age 50, the probability increases that there is a breast cancer gene contributing to the cause of this familial history.
Myth #3: Breast cancer only affects older women
Fact: Breast cancer can affect women of any age. Although breast cancer most commonly affects women between 50 and 60 years old, it can also occur in women less than 40 years old and the elderly. About 26 per cent of Malaysian women with breast cancer are below 45 years old and 3.9 per cent occur in those above 75 years of age. However, studies have shown that the elderly do just as well as younger women if they receive appropriate treatment. Therefore, age alone should not be a barrier to receiving treatment.
Studies have shown that elderly do just as well as younger women if they receive appropriate treatment.
Myth #4: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) does not increase the risk of breast cancer
Fact: Most types of HRT increase the risk of breast cancer. But the risk is higher for those using combined HRT, which uses both oestrogen and progestogen. Taking HRT for 1 year or less only slightly increases breast cancer risk. However, the longer you take HRT the greater the risks are, and the longer they last. The risk of breast cancer due to HRT can also vary from person to person. Things such as what age you are when you first start taking HRT, other medicines you may be taking, and your general health can impact the risk. People who begin HRT before or soon after menopause may have a bigger risk than those who start HRT later.
Myth #5: Breast cancer can be cured with new advanced treatment techniques
Fact: Breast cancer can only be cured if the cancer is detected early. If cancer has spread to other organs the chance of cure diminishes. However, with newer technological advances such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy, we are able to treat cancer like any other chronic illness such as diabetes and hypertension. The survival for advanced-stage breast cancer has increased over the years compared to 20 years ago.
Breast cancer can only be cured if the cancer is detected early.
Myth #6: Mammograms prevent breast cancer in women
Fact: A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. For many women, mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. Currently, a mammogram is the best way to find breast cancer for most women of screening age.
Myth #7: Healthy diet prevent breast cancer
Fact: Eating more vegetables and fruits may work in several ways as part of an overall healthy eating pattern and lifestyle to reduce breast cancer risk. Excess body fat does increase the risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. Therefore, substituting low-calorie vegetables and fruits for foods high in calories can help, because research strongly supports this key step in weight management. The strongest effects seem to come from reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular physical activity and minimizing alcohol consumption. For all these reasons, eating more vegetables does make sense as one part of an overall lifestyle to reduce breast cancer risk and promote overall health.
Myth #8: Using antiperspirants and under-wired bras cause breast cancer
Fact: Antiperspirants and deodorants are safe to use every day and they do not cause breast cancer. It is wrongly believed that aluminium and parabens in these personal care products are absorbed through the skin, or through cuts caused by underarm shaving, and cause breast cancer. Reputable organisations like the American National Cancer Institute, Cancer Research UK, the American Cancer Society and most other major authorities suggest the link between deodorant or antiperspirant use and breast cancer is unconfirmed, or simply a myth.
It is completely safe to wear a bra. There is no scientific evidence to link wearing a bra, the type of bra worn (under-wired or non-wired) or the length of time it is worn, with breast cancer risk. The authors of a new breast cancer study on post-menopausal women, funded by the US National Cancer Institute and published in the September 2014 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, said: “Our results did not support an association between bra wearing and increased breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.”
Myth #9: Birth control pills can cause breast cancer
Fact: Current or recent use of birth control pills (oral contraceptives) is linked to a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer. Studies show while women are taking birth control pills (and shortly after), their breast cancer risk is 20 to 30 per cent higher than women who’ve never used the pill. However, this extra risk is quite small because the risk of breast cancer for most young women is low. So, even with a slightly higher risk from taking the pill, most young women are unlikely to get breast cancer. Once women stop taking the pill, their risk of breast cancer begins to decrease. Over time, risk returns to that of women who have never taken the pill.
Myth #10: An injury to the breast can give rise to breast cancer
Fact: There’s no good scientific evidence that trauma, injury or a blow to the breast can cause cancer and there’s no good explanation for how an injury could cause cancer. Sometimes an injury can cause a non-cancerous (benign) lump known as fat necrosis. This is scar tissue that can form when the body naturally repairs itself. There’s no evidence to suggest that fat necrosis can increase the risk of cancer.
Ms Ranjit Kaur – “Living as a Breast Cancer Survivor: You are not alone”.
BCWA offers psychosocial peer (emotional and social) support as well as information for individuals affected by breast cancer enabling them to be better informed and to manage themselves during and after treatment. In BCWA, breast cancer survivors who have completed treatment are trained, certified and supervised to offer peer support to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and their caregivers.
Previously the support was given face-to-face but now with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is done online – voice calls and WhatsApp messages. Group counselling is done online every 3rd Saturday, and they have one educational session by an expert and a therapeutic session to help patients through recovery and rehabilitation.
Breast cancer survivor, Ms Ranjit Kaur, shares her thoughts based on her experience.
How important is it to have the support of others for breast cancer survivorship?
Peer support: The presence of a breast cancer survivor living a normal life, looking healthy after completing treatment is certainly a sense of motivation and encouragement for the new patient. The patient is meeting someone who has experienced a journey that the patient is just starting. The experience of the long term survivor creates validity for the patient that there can be life after breast cancer.
Having received training, the peer volunteer is non-judgmental. A good listener articulates effective coping strategies and enables positive coping skills in the patient. This form of support helps improve the quality of life of the patient.
Does recovery programmes for patients and survivors help?
Having gone through the breast cancer experience myself, I can safely say that initially I was always drawn to be in the company of other breast cancer survivors who were supportive, understood how I felt and they made me feel motivated to pursue my treatment and its challenges.
At support groups, patients feel safe and there is a sense of camaraderie.
Does BCWA offer peer support for caregivers of cancer patients?
BCWA offers support to caregivers by enabling them to be well informed and supporting them through their challenges and also helping them to understand the disease and its impact.
In fact, in conjunction with the breast cancer awareness month of October 2021, this year BCWA will run a project focusing on caregivers. We are giving the platform to caregivers of metastatic breast cancer patients to narrate their experience and also to convey a message to the public and to other caregivers out there.
Volante Technologies, the global leader in cloud payments and financial messaging, today announced it received USD 10M in growth funding from Wells Fargo Strategic Capital, bringing the total institutional investment to date to USD 45M. With this investment, the bank’s growth capital unit joins a number of global institutional and strategic investors who committed to the previous capital raise led by Wavecrest Growth Partners in August 2020.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get a daily dose of business and lifestyle news from NHA – News Hub Asia!
At a key inflection point, the company is now looking to further modernize the payments industry and bring the benefits of its technology to a wider range of participants, helping them evolve past their legacy limitations. As part of this mission, it will deepen collaboration with existing clients, and further increase the breadth of its ecosystem partnerships.
“While innovation has accelerated in customer-facing fintech applications, legacy core payments infrastructure has been slower to adopt new technologies due to its complex messaging standards and mission-critical environments,” said Basil Darwish, managing director for Wells Fargo Strategic Capital. “Volante solved such challenges by offering a modern cloud-native payments platform that minimizes the complexity while accelerating its customers’ payments modernization efforts. We are excited to invest in Volante and join the next phase of its development.”
Recently, Wells Fargo initiated a strategic payments modernization effort by migrating to the ISO 20022 financial messaging standard across its global payments operations, for which it selected Volante for ISO 20022 Migration and Modernization.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Volante with this investment and we look forward to seeing how Volante will continue to innovate and advance their payment capabilities,” said Jason Christensen, head of payments and treasury technology, Wells Fargo.
Volante has always had big aspirations. The company pioneered real-time payments in the U.S. and cloud technology in financial services. It also has an extensive track record of innovation in digital transformation. In fact, Volante was offering a ‘low code’ and ‘no code’ platform long before they were industry buzzwords, an approach which it will further develop with its strategic investors, including Wells Fargo.
“We’re setting a high bar for excellence – one that improves and elevates the entire industry,” said Vijay Oddiraju, CEO, Volante Technologies. “If banks can launch payment products in months versus years, then that’s a win for everyone. Beyond digital banks and financial institutions, we also want to bring the value of our solutions directly to business and consumer brands.”
“But it’s about more than innovation and automation,” he continued. “As a global citizen, I’m also driven by the ethical imperatives of an industry that manages finances in an age of great global inequality. It’s my concern for the next generation that leads me to believe that our products need to help end users achieve a better life. As a customer and an investor, Wells Fargo will further help us on this journey.”
Vaibhav Nalwaya, Managing Partner, Wavecrest Growth Partners, said, “Volante has cemented itself as the cloud payments operating system. Tier one banks, regional banks, and credit unions can forget about their multi-year transformation journeys. With Volante, they can update their connectivity to a new payments rail or comply with a new standard delivered over the cloud in a manner similar to how consumers update apps on their phones. Wavecrest is proud to support the Volante journey alongside an ensemble cast of strategic investors.”
The studio was founded by local gaming industry veterans to fill a gap in the market when it came to Asian-inspired or themed games. The studio has launched two titles, including their latest; Scoopy – The Ice Cream Adventure.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get a daily dose of business and lifestyle news from NHA – News Hub Asia!
Mason Games, Malaysian game developer and publisher, has officially launched in the market with two hyper-casual titles. The latest is Scoopy – The Ice Cream Adventure, which is now available for download for free on the Google Play store. This is part of the publisher’s plan to develop a slew of popular hyper-casual games with an Asian influence targeted at the growing hyper-casual gaming market in the region.
According to a Research and Markets report, by the end of 2021, there will be 250 million mobile online gamers in Southeast Asia. Markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines are leading the world in growth for hyper-casual games, which should come as no surprise. With a better internet infrastructure, a rising number of mobile gamers, and a competitive market landscape, Southeast Asia’s gaming market has a lot of potential to grow even
further.
CEO and co-founder, Daryl Lau shared, “Our goal is to create a sense of belonging
and local representation by incorporating Asian elements into our games that are
unique to the region. Many online games that have an Asian element, tend to have a
version or perception of Asia that people who live here may not fully identify with. At
the core of everything we do, is to create a fun experience that everyone can feel a
part of and enjoy.”
Local gaming veterans join forces
Hyper Casual games are usually very easy to play, have a simple user interface, and
are available for free. This presents a significantly lower barrier to entry for those who
are not traditionally ‘gamers’. The pandemic also led to a sharp increase in gaming,
especially on the hyper-casual front with new users joining en masse during the
lockdowns across the region.
This was evident to the 11-year gaming veteran Daryl, leading him to bring together
game industry specialists to form Mason Games to focus on building Asian-inspired
hyper-casual titles for the gaming community. However, the gaming market can be
challenging, but with decades of experience in the gaming retail and distribution
industry as well as a good grasp of the gamers’ mindset, they are confident in finding
their place in the industry.
To help them on their journey, the team has created a working environment that is
conducive to ideation and creativity built with a gamer’s mindset. This is critical for a
game developer looking to compete in the competitive landscape of casual gaming,
as it promotes and cultivates an innovative environment to build games with an
Asian twist.
Becoming the Asian leader in hyper-casual games
Mason Games has aggressive plans for the future, with plans to launch 50
hyper-casual games by the end of 2022. They will continue to incorporate Asian
themes within the games for new and existing gamers.The team is also aiming to expand and build the brand across Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on building a larger development team to ramp up the production and design of games.
“The initial reception to our first couple of titles has been very positive, which is a
good sign that our Asian-inspired games are resonating well with people. However,
we are aware that we are at the start of our journey and there are billions of potential
gamers out there that would appreciate our homage to Asian culture.”, said Daryl.
Download Scoopy The Ice Cream Adventure and Math Cat Boxing to start playing
now.
With the current pandemic that has ravaged the world, many businesses have borne the brunt of it. According to the Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperation Ministry (Medac), more than 30,000 firms have closed in Malaysia since the government initially implemented movement restrictions in March to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Despite the difficulties that many businesses faced, some were able to overcome them, while others relied on their strengths to make the best of the situation.
VERITAS Architects Sdn Bhd is one company that needs special recognition. Despite the world’s crisis, namely Malaysia, this establishment enjoyed an eventful year. Here are a few highlights.
The Serimbun in Johor Bharu, a newly completed residential community project by VERITAS, has earned the 2021 Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) Silver Award in the Master Planning project category. The award was presented to VERITAS Johor Principal Shah Jaffar on October 2, 2021, at a ceremony held at the PAM Center in Kuala Lumpur.
In accordance with World Rivers Day (Sepang District HSS), ‘VERITASians’ took on the cleaning of the river, grass cutting of the lake, and trail, among other activities to help beautify the environment at 7.30 am on Sunday, October 9th 2021.
A group of VERITASians visited the beach of Pantai Cermin in Port Dickson on September 19, 2021, for a beach cleaning exercise and mangrove sapling harvesting. Andrew Sebastian from the NGO EcoMY aided them. They began the beach cleanup at 10:30 a.m., and within an hour, 1.5 kilometres of beach had been combed and 16 huge bags had been filled with beach detritus.
Despite being a renowned design firm in the country, VERITAS Architects Sdn Bhd recognised that much assistance was required at this time, and their unselfish actions benefited many residents from various places.
As climate change and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues gain traction globally and locally, Sun Life Malaysia, a life insurance and Family Takaful provider, launched the country’s first investment-linked ESG fund, the Sun Life Malaysia Global Sustainable Fund, making it the first insurer in Malaysia to offer ESG investing choices to the insuring public.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get a daily dose of business and lifestyle news from NHA – News Hub Asia!
Commenting on the new milestone, Raymond Lew, CEO and President/Country Head of Sun Life Malaysia shared that sustainability is essential to Sun Life’s long-term success and the Company’s sustainability agenda focuses on three key areas – sustainable investing, financial security and healthier lives.
“At Sun Life Malaysia, we always strive to lead by example. With this new ESG-themed fund, we are taking a leadership role in making ESG investing accessible and affordable to Malaysians through our investment-linked insurance products,” shared Raymond. “We aspire to engage with our Clients and help shift their mindsets – that is to invest with a purpose that will lead to sustainable returns. By giving them a choice to invest responsibly, we are empowering them to contribute towards building a healthier, more financially resilient, environmentally secure and economically prosperous world.”
The Sun Life Malaysia Global Sustainable Fund, is a collaboration between Sun Life Malaysia with Nomura Asset Management Malaysia Sdn Bhd. The investment-linked fund invests in a unit trust fund offered by Nomura Asset Management Malaysia. It is designed to provide its Clients, from all segments, an opportunity to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also safeguarding their own protection and financial needs through investment-linked insurance plans.
Clients can choose to invest in this Sustainable Fund when they purchase selected investment-linked products through both bancassurance and agency channels, namely SunLink Max, Sun Invest, Sun Income Secure Max; as well as Sun Shield Link and the new Sun Prestige Life which will be launched by end of this month.
Sustainable investing, which refers to ESG integration into investment decisions and portfolio construction, is growing exponentially in Asia. In fact, the pandemic has increased the adoption rate of ESG investing owing to increased awareness about corporate behaviour, business resilience and broader sustainability issues. Additionally, the rise of climate-related events over the past two years is driving increased focus on ESG issues.
For Sun Life Malaysia, ESG is more than investing to drive meaningful climate change actions. It serves as a critical lens to identifying strong investment opportunites towards building a low-carbon, sustainable economy. By embedding ESG lens into investments, it will lead to superior financial results over the long term. Sun Life’s commitment to embed ESG into its solutions and investment decisions sets to benefit both Clients’ assets and its own general account.
According to Lew, ESG investing offers a real solution for Clients to fulfil their protection goals as well as ethical and moral priorities, at the same time, it is proving to be a much more resilient investment choice during crisis.
“We believe ESG investing will be the new reality. By tapping these sustainable investment opportunities, we are enabling our Clients to take positive steps towards financial security, close protection gaps and at the same time, being part of a sustainable economy. We are proud to be leading the way with this first investment-linked ESG fund in Malaysia and we look forward to welcoming more like-minded Malaysians into our ESG journey,” Raymond concluded.
Sun Life Malaysia is part of Sun Life, a global financial services organisation. In 2020, Sun Life commited over CAD$60 billion in sustainable investments across its general account and third party investments (as at December 31, 2020). It also introduced a new ESG evaluation framework that helps Clients make informed decisions for sustainable investing through Sun Life’s Canadian Group Retirement Services business.
In 2021, Corporate Knights named Sun Life as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World for the 12th consecutive year. This is a clear testimony of the Group’s rigorous sustainability practices, especially in carbon productivity, clean revenue and board gender diversity.
Together, let’s commit to a more sustainable future for all Malaysians. The new Sun Life MalaysiaGlobal Sustainable Fund is now available for all Malaysians. For more information, visit www.sunlifemalaysia.com
Villamas encourages home buying under HouzKEY with an exciting preview to meta_city’s Tower B.
Villamas Group, a highly acclaimed developer, well known for being consistent in building quality developments, has recently announced a game changer. This move is set to support aspiring homebuyers in owning their dream home. This is a positive step given how much the pandemic these last 18 months has changed our lives especially the employment sector.
To date, Villamas has experienced tremendous growth which exceeds RM1.9 billion in gross development value since its inception back in 2000. Committed to creating spaces that transcend the norm with the perception that life is never ordinary, this unique, integrated lifestyle-driven mixed development – meta_city previously unveiled its Tower A under meta_residence. The response has been good to date with limited units currently available.
The Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) that was extended previously in line with the government’s initiative to promote homeownership is now also offered to purchasers of BLIZ.
Far from resting on its laurels, Villamas continues its upward trajectory with the preview of BLIZ (Tower B) at meta_residence with an array of financial goodies. Firstly, the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) that was extended previously in line with the government’s initiative to promote homeownership is now also offered to purchasers of BLIZ. Buyers need not worry about the stamp duty fees on Memorandum of Transfer (MOT) and financing agreement as these will be completely waived under the HOC.
This tower has a lower density and hosts a range of resort style facilities that are private and separated from that of Tower A.
Buyers of BLIZ would also be pleased to know that units at BLIZ could be sold under the latest Houzkey scheme by Maybank Islamic Berhad. Under this incentive, buyers could get a full 100 percent financing on their purchase, no payment during construction and lowest monthly payment.
“We are excited to be in collaboration with Villamas Group to help address the growing issue of homeownership affordability in Malaysia with HouzKEY. At www.maybank2own.com, we offer a convenient platform for homebuyers to apply for financing and provide a hassle-free online application submission. On top of that, we have enhanced our product offering for a better home ownership experience that enables home buyers to enjoy other available incentives. HouzKEY customers are eligible for government incentives like Home Ownership Campaign (HOC), Bumiputera discount for eligible Bumiputera buyers and more.” said Miss Sally Lye, Managing Director of Maybank’s Real Estate Ventures.
Targeted towards the energetic, young lifestyle seekers giving buyers a complete peace of mind.
Another interesting news is the introduction of the Villamas “Meta_easyown” campaign. By obtaining its own money lending license, Villamas is now able to offer differential amount financing for buyers who are offered a lower financial margin from the bank. This financing now makes owning a dream home at meta_residence easier than ever with meta_easyown.
Mr Gan Teck Seong, Villamas Group CEO quoted, “At Villamas, we are committed towards finding unique solutions towards homeownership. As such, the idea behind these homeownership financial plans are to ensure a smoother purchasing process and to eliminate the worry of hefty initial outlays, which is the biggest concern of most homebuyers during these troubled times.”
At Villamas, we are committed towards finding unique solutions towards homeownership – Gan Teck Seong, Villamas Group CEO.
Targeted for preview sometime this month, BLIZ Serviced Apartments at meta_residence will spot 757sf (3bedrooms + 2bathrooms), targeted towards the energetic, young lifestyle seekers giving buyers a complete peace of mind.
The 960sf (3bedrooms + 3bathrooms) has a larger living room and could house a young couple or a small family comfortably. The largest 1,230sf (dual key concept) units on the other hand, is for more imaginative living, where the unit could be partly converted into a home office or house multi-generations.
With a total of only 462 units, this tower has a lower density and hosts a range of resort style facilities that are private and separated from that of Tower A. All units at BLIZ will be equipped with up to two car park bays.
Some 31,500 Malaysians will stand to benefit from the efforts of 63 social enterprises (SEs) who received funding support totalling RM10 million through the Malaysian Government’s PENJANA’s Social Impact Matching (SIM) Grant in the past year.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get a daily dose of business and lifestyle news from NHA – News Hub Asia!
The SIM Grant was a move by the government to rebuild the livelihood of communities through social enterprises in five impact areas, namely, environmental protection, food security, health & social well-being, community livelihood and heritage preservation. The grants are channeled through the social enterprises to the beneficiaries for capacity building that will provide them with additional skills to improve job prospects, increase income and improve their overall livelihoods.
Altogether, the 63 social enterprise grant recipients from across 9 states are forecast to deliver an estimated social value of more than RM40 million through their various initiatives. “We are thrilled to support these social enterprises who have worked hard to raise an equal amount of funding, or more, through crowdsourcing programmes and other corporate sponsors – thereby doubling their total financial support through the matching grant. This shows that there is growing awareness, appreciation and support for social innovation in Malaysia – which is an inherent indicator of a progressive society – one where we foster the growth of sustainable and scalable solutions to enhance our collective well-being,” said Amiruddin Abdul Shukor, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre Berhad (MaGIC).
More than one third of the approved SIM Grant funding is directed towards initiatives on
community livelihood, followed by 26 percent of the approved funding going to health and social well-being. Marginalised communities, youth and children form about 50 percent of the beneficiaries, whilst indigenous communities make up another 30 percent.
“Through the SIM Grant, we hope to foster a virtuous cycle of good, enabling some of the best practices to be sustained, replicated, expanded and scaled nationwide in the coming years,” said Amiruddin. The supported social enterprises predominantly provide education, food & beverage and agriculture related programmes, interventions or solutions, with at least 30 percent of the initiatives selected run nationwide or online.
The SIM Grant Joint Approval Committee, composed of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), MaGIC, Yayasan Hasanah and Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia, assessed
applications for feasibility, effectiveness and intended outcomes, towards making a decision. A total of 182 applications were received.
SIM grant recipient, Melissa Gomes from Edvolution, an education-related social enterprise said, “Through our work with educators on the ground, we found that the pandemic has created an increased demand for quality online professional development courses. As such, the Penjana SIM grant has been a huge help in enabling us to meet the demands of our beneficiaries who are predominantly from the B40 category. Many courses are delivered in the local language.”
One month after receiving the grant, Edvolution created a one-stop online professional
development platform for teachers, education leaders and schools called CikguHub. Here, they offer 20 short courses, three online programs and one tailor-made school solution. Some of their courses include Understanding Teaching as Leadership and Myself, Building My Community, Understanding Student’s Social Emotional Needs and Assessing My Teaching Competencies. At present, Edvolution has 65 learners on the platform and are expecting to receive another 100 learners by the end of November.
“The SIM Grant has contributed to our efforts in recycling coconut waste in Sabah. We have
utilised the grant by acquiring a larger manufacturing and storage area, as well as a coconut waste processing mechanism to increase production and efficiency. Prior to receiving the grant, we were processing 500 kilograms of coconut waste per month. However, the grant has now allowed us to process one tonne (1,000 kilograms) every month with an annual increase. To date, we have collected more than 15,000 kilograms of coconut waste and processed 15 tonnes of it into cocopeat, coco fibre and coconut oil. More importantly, we have hired 20 persons who can now generate their own income as well with the skills and training provided using coconut resources,” stated Markos Suman, founder of MF Borneo Agronizuw.
#Demilaut, a social enterprise providing integrated solutions towards a sustainable fishing culture, has assisted two fishing villages in Bako and Sibuti, Sarawak with 32 Pemukat Noh, a mechanized trawl engine. This reduced the need of already depleting fishing manpower due to COVID-19 restrictions and increased the fishers database as well as youth participation. “We want to ensure that traditional fishermen not only earn a higher income from new channels, but also from reporting data of their yield. We plan to automate the process for fishermen using Artificial Intelligence imaging and improve their cold-chain system, so they are more resilient and have the capacity to upscale their operations and trade,” said #Demilaut founder, Haaziq Ibrahim.
Some SIM Grant applicants who were unsuccessful in securing funding were funneled into two other MaGIC initiatives, namely, the Social Impact Challenge Accelerator (SICA) where they pitched for projects from other organisations, to receive network and funding opportunities, as well as the Buy For Impact programme where social enterprises are provided market access, funding and capacity building support.
Initiatives such as the SIM Grant promote inclusive and responsible businesses that create a positive impact on Malaysian society while stimulating the private sector and general public participation in seeding and scaling social innovation. In doing so, ‘doing good’ becomes the new norm.
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading global supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced its collaboration with Sindcon (Singapore) IoT Technology Pte Ltd, one of the pioneering companies based in Singapore providing low power wide area network (LPWAN) Internet of Things (IoT) metering solutions.
The collaboration brings smart consumption monitoring of energy and water at the Singapore Zoo alongside Electrique Energie & Metering Pte. Ltd. A challenge for the project was overcoming the forested terrain of the Singapore Zoo. Through integrating Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® standard into the Sindcon water and energy meters, Sindcon was able to deploy 1,000+ devices in strategic locations throughout the three parks within the Singapore Zoo using the robust and reliable connectivity of LoRaWAN to transmit real-time metering data every 15 minutes. Additionally, by leveraging the power efficiency of LoRa devices, Sindcon was able to reduce the cost of power cabling, further reducing the cost and complexity of deployment.
“The immense scale of this project was a challenge for radio signal transmission due to the Singapore Zoo’s expansive area and heavily forested terrain. LoRaWAN and Semtech’s LoRa devices were the ideal solution to this problem, supporting the need of the project for low power data communication that allows smart meters to function for up to three years on a single battery while sending data uplinks every 15 minutes, relaying critical water and energy usage data in real time for the Singapore Zoo to monitor and lower its overall usage,” said Deyu Chen, CEO and founder of Sindcon. “Sindcon and Semtech’s collaboration highlights how LPWAN technologies are moving toward the future of a more energy-efficient and smarter world.”
Over the past three years, the 1000+ Sindcon water and energy meters with LoRaWAN connectivity have been successfully deployed throughout the Singapore Zoo with a data success rate of 97% according to Sindcon. The smart meters are located inside the switch rooms and are housed within electrical panels across the three parks within the Singapore Zoo. Each device monitors key consumption metrics like cubic meter (m3) throughput for water meters and kilowatt-hour (kWh), voltage, current and power consumption for electricity meters.
“LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard deliver a cost effective and flexible networking solution for Sindcon, driving bottom line business benefits,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president of IoT product marketing and strategy for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “Enhancing the Singapore Zoo with Sindcon through the deployment of smart water and energy meters with LoRaWAN showcases how the Internet of Things is shaping the future of smart utilities.”
For more information on Sindcon’s smart metering solutions with LoRaWAN, please visit here.
