World Business Outlook - Issue 5

Managing Director

Shankar Shivaprasad

Co-founder & CEO

Shashank M

Chief Editor

Ujal Nair

Assistant Editor

Kevin Thomas

Head of Operation

James

Head of Production

Tom Hanks

Head of Research

John Smith

Head of Media Sales

Jordhan Hart

Advertising Contact Info@wboutlook.com

Content Managers

Sathya Narayana B

Amith Raj

Laura Edwards

Madhulika Pandey

Graphic Designer

Chandan R

Video Editor

Nelson Caitan

Accounts Manager

Steve Smith

Office Address

32 Pekin St #05-01 Singapore 048762

Phone: +65909 85817

The Real Story behind the Innovation boom in Asia and MENA

Global Markets are inundated with various innovative artificial intelligence tools and the possibilities from it are still incomprehensible. It is compelling many of the incumbent players to change their strategies for their product development and service delivery. AI tools are showcasing their biggest prowess in the marketing field and is gradually dripping into other sectors of the global market.

This issue covers a lot of the technological overhaul that we witnessed in the initial days of 2023. We saw organisational restructures happening at Rockwell automation, Appomni, Northwestern Mutual, Quad, Heliogen and more. The Q1 of 2023 also saw some major acquisitions including that of Opengate, Mina, Koala, Cube and more. Artificial intelligence technology is getting a big boost from the network technology updates like the one from ZF, Thinkmarkets, Mongodb and more.

Do look for the exclusive interaction with the CEO of AsiaPay, Joseph Chan, who talks about all the latest advanced digital solutions and AI tools on offer for the banking and the fintech organizations. This will give you a real glimpse into the growth story of the Asian banking and the fintech organisations that are investing heavily on digital transformation.

On Cover, we have Azad Properties, the ‘Fastest Growing Asset and Property Management Company in Saudi Arabia 2023’ and also the winner of the title for ‘Most Sustainable Real Estate Investor, Saudi Arabia 2023’. If Saudi Arabia is witnessing the next big boom in the real estate sector in the Middle East region then private players like Azad Properties are playing a very vital role in it. Some of their projects are quite impressive and downright passionately patriotic to meet the goals of Vision 2030.

We present to you these insightful pages that would give you a glimpse to the trail of innovations and the direction of new developments emerging across the globe.

Al Tamimi & Company expands its corporate commercial business across MENA

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ABK forecasts a 19% increase in net profit in 2022

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Video Content: An Essential Norm in the Influencer Market Our Advanced Digital Solutions boosts banks and fintechs: Joseph Chan of AsiaPay

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AppOmni appoints Tina Hawk as CPO

AppOmni, One of the leading provider of SaaS Security, has expanded its leadership team and added Tina Hawk as the company’s first chief people officer(CPO). With more than 20 years of HR experience, Hawk will optimize talent acquisition and retention, total rewards, DEI&B, professional development, and performance management.

“From my first conversations with the AppOmni team, I knew I’d found a company with limitless growth potential and a fantastic culture,” said Hawk. “AppOmni’s people are essential as we endeavor to help enterprise and SMB clients alike secure their critical SaaS data and platforms. I’m thrilled to advance the People function of this incredible company.”

Prior to joining AppOmni, Hawk held HR leadership roles at Inflection.com, Inc., Conduit Global, TriNet, and Strategic Outsourcing, Inc. Throughout her career, she has established a track record of bolstering retention, engagement, and performance across functions. Hawk maintains industry-leading HR professional certifications, including SHRM-SCP, SHRMPASC, sHRBP, and SSHR.

“AppOmni’s rapid growth trajectory requires us to mature our HR operations as we seek to retain and recruit top-notch talent,” said Brendan O’Connor, co-founder and CEO at AppOmni. “Tina’s background and experience make her the perfect choice for this vital role. With her record of building outstanding People functions, I’m confident Tina is the right person to lead our HR initiatives and strategy as we continue our rapid expansion.”

A country with a population of just over 36 million, Saudi Arabia is the eighteenth largest economy in the world. With a GDP of over USD 833.54 billion, Real Estate is said to be the second-largest revenue generator. As per the 2021 reports, real estate contributed 40,000 jobs and around USD 103 billion to the country’s economy. It is very much a core beneficiary of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious and impressive Vision 2030.

As part of Vision 2030, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs has set out several ambitious strategies under Vision 2030 for the future of Saudi Arabia. Several mega projects such as NEOM, Amala, Red Sea, Qiddiya, Diriyah Gate and more are aiming to increase home ownership in the Kingdom. The launch of the SAR 15 billion Tourism Development Fund is reportedly promoting over 65 tourism-oriented projects across the Kingdom.

Under Vision 2030, the KSA government has planned to capitalize on the government’s reserves of real estate and allocate them for educational, healthcare, tourism, private entrepreneurship and entertainment purposes. For this, banks and other financial institutions are being supported to customize their products and services to meet the new demands of Vision 2030. As part of promoting the entrepreneurial spirit of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom plans to introduce funding programmes to benefit large projects and small businesses. In order to create a business environment conducive to longterm investment, several amendments are being undertaken to international legal and commercial regulations. The real estate sector is witnessing its next big boom in the form of King Abdullah Financial District, the headquarters of the Public Investment Fund and the largest sovereign wealth fund in the Kingdom.

Nation Building One Project at a Time

World Business Outlook, in its quest to find the leaders of the real estate sector in Saudi Arabia, came across Azad Properties. Headquartered in Jeddah and prominently active across Saudi Arabia since 2017, Azad Properties specializes in real estate activities and projects including retail, workshops and other commercial properties. Azad Properties is showcasing innovation in real estate by promoting large business and entertainment projects in its portfolio. Azad Properties has been adjudged the ‘Fastest Growing Asset and Property Management Company in Saudi Arabia 2023’ and ‘Most Sustainable Real Estate Investor Saudi Arabia 2023’ by World Business Outlook

Azad Properties has over 1 million sq. meters of gross leasable area. Their clientele includes world-class retailers to sub-developers and their portfolio of assets comprises of commercial, retail and industrial properties. Azad Properties has established an agile policy and procedures system that governs and supports their leasing strategy, leasing operations, leasing administration, property operations, facility management, assets management and marketing activities.

Azad Properties has proven its excellence in services including property and asset management, leasing, facility management, tenant relations & collection, strategy, commercial development, property maintenance, risk management, implementation of safety measures in commercial and industrial properties, intermediary services with contractors, tenants and several marketing services.

Here is a highlight of some of the major assets of Azad Properties

Souq7

Spanning across an area of 700,000+ sq.m. in the highly populated Al Jamea district of southern Jeddah near King Abdulaziz University, Souq 7 is a commercial hub segmented into 7 main zones. The property consists of 114 building blocks that comprises over 400,000 sq.m. of leasable area, 12 cinemas, 6 mosques, and many other commercial establishments. Christened as ‘A Souq for everyone’, this site is projected to generate a revenue of SAR 2.3 billion and over 24 thousand new jobs.

Corniche Commercial Center

Located near the Jeddah Islamic Port, this elevenfloors building is a shopper’s haven. It houses several fashion and Apparel shops. It is estimated that over five thousand people visit this 37,000+ sq.m shopping site every day.

Darraja Center

A traditional retail format, this souk is a popular destination among Jeddah residents for everything related to furniture, carpets, and decoration items. Surrounded by other well-known commercial centers located in Jeddah City

Bawabat Alsenaya

With a total space of over a million sq.m., this industrial zone is among the largest industrial districts in Riyadh city. With line shops, warehouses and workspaces, this area was developed for emerging

companies and businesses of Saudi Arabia.

Other noteworthy properties in their portfolio include the Al Alam Mall, Taba Center, Center17 & Al Khazzan Buildings

A Visionary to build a Vision

Alumni of London Business School, Ayman Al Burti is the CEO of Azad Properties. He ensures a sustainable and blooming business ecosystem for the company. His 20 years of experience spans through asset management, operation, sales and business development in the commercial and residential sector. Previously, he was the Chief Commercial Officer at AWJ Holding and the Chief operating officer of Anan Holding. He has also handled several crucial and senior management roles at Kinan International Real Estate Company and Savola Group. He is also a board member of Jeddah Central Markets company.

Azad properties received many excellence awards, including:

Great place to work award for 2022

Global Business Outlook award to Azad as the fastest growing property management company for the year 2022

The best decoration and event award for Cornish commercial center at the Asian Leadership Awards Ceremony, Dubai, United Arab Emirates pertains to the activity and decoration of the holy month of Ramadan.

Traditional Marketing Award 2022 at the

Dubai Retail Shopping Conference for Cornish commercial center

The 9th Annual Summit Award of the Middle East and North Africa Retail Leaders Forum, with Azad properties being the silver participating partner in this event.

Azad Properties is completely aligned with the glorious vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz under the Vision 2030 goals. With major focus on the business an entertainment sectors while improving the quality of life of the Saudi public, the organization is investing its major resources towards the modernization of the Kingdom’s cities. Through an advanced property management system, Azad properties has been efficiently tracking any potential issues and resolving them. Thus, successfully managing its entire operations smoothly.

The management at Azad Properties has devised an ambitious goal that incorporates real estate services, achieve shareholder interests and assemble a team of experts to maintain its market leadership while still serving customer interests. In order to meet the ambitious demands of Vision 2030, Azad Properties is forging strategic partnerships with businesses to improve the nation’s quality of life.

FASTEST GROWING ASSET AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY IN SAUDI ARABIA 2023

Rockwell Automation onboards Bob Buttermore as SVP and CSCO

Rockwell Automation, Inc., the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, recently announced that Robert (Bob) Buttermore will be named senior vice president (SVP) and Chief Supply Chain Officer(CSCO), effective Feb. 13. He will report to Rockwell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Blake Moret.

In this role, Buttermore heads the Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) organization and is responsible for leading global strategy and development of Manufacturing Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Sourcing, Logistics, and Customer Care. Buttermore succeeds Brad Skogman, who has served as the interim head of ISC since June 2022.

“Bob has demonstrated vision and leadership in growing our core business

and meeting our customers’ needs. His strategic vision, leadership track record, passion for building and empowering teams, and ability to work across the company position him well to lead our agile supply chain organization,” Moret said.

“I would like to thank Brad for his strong leadership and results during this dynamic supply chain period,” Moret said. “He and Bob will partner for a smooth transition, and we are happy to have Brad return as a leader in our Finance organization.”

Buttermore has built his career at Rockwell. He joined the company in 1997 in the Operations Leadership Development Program as an engineer in Cleveland, Ohio. He has gained global industry expertise with roles of increasing responsibility and leadership scope in operations management, sales, and sales management, including as regional vice president, Greater China. Most recently, Buttermore was vice president and general manager of the Power Control Business within the Intelligent Devices operating segment, overseeing global operations, and developing and implementing strategic direction for this critical area. In this role, he led Rockwell’s recent acquisition of CUBIC.

Buttermore holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University.

ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division has further underlined its commitment to advancing ‘Next Generation Mobility’ by investing in cutting-edge 5G digital connectivity. Equipping its commercial vehicle test track at Jeversen, Germany, with its own powerful campus network enables enhanced testing of ‘Big Data’ backed solutions which are increasingly facilitating the next levels of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Transportation as a Service (TaaS). This includes supporting the development of Levels 4 and 5 autonomous driving which demands seamless connectivity and enormous data management capabilities to enable autonomous vehicle control and the highest levels of safety.

“Our first 5G campus network equipped test track sets another powerful milestone in the Group’s ‘Next Generation Mobility’ strategy,” said Dr. Christian Brenneke, Senior

Vice President of Product Engineering with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division. “Ensuring that we continue to support our customers with rigorously tested, cuttingedge innovations, our advanced network capabilities will enable us to meet future advances and technology changes.”

“Based on an open intelligent Radio Access Network using a virtualized, cloud-based and open architecture, the new network ensures a stable transmission infrastructure with low latency and high security,” points out Dr. Rolf Reinema, Vice President IT Workplace, IT Infrastructure & Operations, IT Security at ZF. “It can safely transmit commands to and from the vehicles in near real-time, its rapid handover capability ensures a seamless endto-end data flow in moving vehicles.”

ZF unveils 5G campus for autonomous CV development

“It took us just six months to set up this system for indoor and outdoor coverage using antennas that optimally ensure reliable handovers between base stations, even during high-speed vehicle maneuvers,” Dr. Reinema added.

Unlimited Digital Connectivity Powers ‘Next Generation Mobility’

ZF’s Jeversen test track, located in Lower Saxony, Germany, incorporates a mix of curves, straight and low-speed sections, replicating a wide range of road conditions to simulate real-life situations. Combining this track configuration with advanced 5G capabilities will further enable ZF to emulate different autonomous driving use cases, ranging from low-speed automated yard operations to high-speed highway operations. It also enables connectivity with roadside infrastructure such

as traffic lights and gates. Being independent from mobile service providers, ZF can quickly and flexibly adapt the campus network to meet changing technology requirements and rapidly expand it to support future innovations.

Further improving the global test facility’s digital and cyber security, flexibility and reliability, ZF’s network supports seamless remote access and data transfer from test vehicles to cloud-based storage as well as rapid downloads. Manufacturers, suppliers, industry partners and other ZF guests of the Jeversen facility will also benefit from the new network. This includes high quality audio and video streams from moving demonstration vehicles and track-side cameras which can be seamlessly transferred to the visitor center to demonstrate ZF’s latest innovations.

SolomonEdwards

SolomonEdwards, one of the national professional services firm, is pleased to announce the acquisition of OpenGate Consulting, Inc. (OpenGate), a business and technology consulting firm, focused on the Salesforce ecosystem across the core clouds in the financial services and healthcare industries.

OpenGate’s technical capabilities and broad market reach will allow SolomonEdwards to leverage its expertise and open more possibilities to help clients and organizations transform their digital strategies. Alec Elmore, Founder of OpenGate, is pleased with the acquisition, saying: “We are incredibly excited about our new ownership through SolomonEdwards and the opportunity to bring our complementary skills to market together. OpenGate’s success is built on driving growth and scale through digital capabilities with our business first focus.”

He continued: “The combined depth and breadth of our business and technical skills will offer more value and impact to our respective client bases.”

The OpenGate acquisition was a strategic decision to expand into technology consulting that is synergistic with SolomonEdwards’ accounting & finance and business transformation services, as well as its strong financial services client base. This is especially true since the two companies have collaborated on opportunities in the past. As part of its aggressive growth strategy, SolomonEdwards recently received a significant investment from Renovus Capital Partners (Renovus). The capital infusion in 2022 followed a period of recordsetting growth for SolomonEdwards, allowing the company to make additional investments in its team and delivery capabilities, and accelerating growth.

Scott Balestrier, SolomonEdwards’ CEO, says, “This is a pivotal first step in the SolomonEdwards acquisition strategy.” He added: “I am excited about adding the OpenGate team to bolster and grow our technology practice as we optimize a balance of people, process, and technology to drive strong outcomes for our clients.”

FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc. , a leading global business payments and spend management company, recently announced the acquisition of Mina, a cloud-based electric vehicle (EV) charging software platform. The acquisition provides FLEETCOR with the market-leading homecharging software solution for commercial fleets in the UK and follows a successful partnership between the companies.

The acquisition gives FLEETCOR the UK’s only EV re-charging solution that captures, calculates and pays for athome business-use charging directly with the energy provider. Mina’s solution helps commercial fleets manage the transition to EV by dramatically simplifying and automating the reimbursement process involved in at-home charging.

“It’s a fascinating company that’s built software integrations into virtually all the UK EV charging hardware suppliers and electric utility providers. That makes athome EV charging and reimbursement incredibly simple for employees and employers,” said Ron Clarke, chairman and chief executive officer, FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc.

“We now have a market-leading 3-in-1 EV charging solution for commercial fleets that combines at-home, on-the-road, along with internal combustion engine refueling into one integrated client offering,” said Tom Rowlands, global managing director of EV solutions for FLEETCOR.

Chowly acquires Koala to raise digital ordering experience

Chowly, one of the restaurant technology company that integrates third-party delivery marketplaces with point-ofsale (POS) systems, recently announced its acquisition of Koala, a guest experience platform that empowers established and emerging restaurant brands to elevate their digital ordering experience across web, app and kiosk to drive immediate results. The combined business will represent over 16,000 restaurant locations on the platform, integrating over 350,000 orders per day across the US.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Koala to the Chowly team,” said Sterling Douglass, cofounder and CEO, Chowly. “Merging these two businesses together represents a major leap forward in the mission of both organizations as we help restaurants navigate today’s complicated digital world. Koala’s open platform meshes perfectly with Chowly’s, while also giving restaurants a simpler experience for their off-premise strategies. We plan on bringing Koala’s best-in-class enterprisegrade ordering to the SMB restaurant space and blend our partnership ecosystems

while continuing to support their success in the enterprise restaurant space.”

“Chowly and Koala have long held a deep alignment of mission, core values and culture, making this an ideal partnership for helping our customers reach new levels of success,” said Nat Trienens, CEO, Koala. “We’re excited to take this next step in the evolution of our guest experience platform as we carry the momentum forward with Chowly’s world-class team and technology.”

Through this combination, tens of thousands of SMB and independent restaurant owners will soon gain access to a more sophisticated and holistic solution, including enterprise-grade online ordering, advanced data analytics, and proven machine learning recommendation engines for increasing basket sizes. Sophisticated native iOS apps, open platforms, and multi-platform support have long been relegated to the largest of enterprises, but are now being democratized for the independent restaurateur. The leadership team at Koala, Walter Beller-Morales,

Melanie Norton and Brett Spiegel will play a critical role in integrating the two companies’ solutions in conjunction with Chowly’s leadership. Koala’s CEO Nat Trienens will remain temporarily to help shepherd the integration of the two companies.

Chowly brings significant scale to the expanded organization, representing more than 12,000 locations and 3,000 brands. The company has delivered a consistent record of product innovation, best-in-class implementation time and POS integrations, and a strong value-driven sales team.

By adding Koala’s strengths with product-leading features such as top tier conversion rates, enterprisegrade stability, a highlycustomizable user experience and a machine learning engine for recommendations to maximize basket size, the combined company will be positioned for significant growth as a market leader.

Chowly and Koala’s teams are already hard at work building a product combination that the restaurant space has yet to see for SMB brands.

Northwestern Mutual onboards

Kate Michaels as managing partner

Recently, Northwestern Mutual, One of the leading financial security company, announced the appointment of Kate Michaels as managing partner of the company’s new network office in San Jose. The office will provide up to 70

employment opportunities to those in Silicon Valley in 2023, following nearly 75,000 layoffs in the past year, according to tech job tracker layoffs.fyi.

“Creating financial security for more families in the San Jose community will be a top priority for our office,” Michaels said. “The area is going through some significant changes, and many people are experiencing financial anxiety. At a time when large employers are pulling back, we’re excited to make this investment in Silicon Valley, to guide clients on their financial journey and to provide career opportunities to top talent in the area.”

In addition to supporting the office’s advisors and providing them with the resources they need to best serve their clients, Michaels will oversee client growth and retention. She is also committed to constructing a staff that is diverse and representative of the greater San Jose community.

Michaels began her career in 2008 as a campus recruiter in Rochester, N.Y., and has since excelled in many roles within the company, including internship

development officer, chief recruiting officer and financial advisor. In 2014, Michaels launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for the company’s network office in Syracuse, N.Y., and was the inaugural graduate of Northwestern Mutual’s Women’s Leadership Development Program. Prior to her new role, Michaels served as the district director in Syracuse where she drove significant increases in productivity among new advisors.

After 15 years with Northwestern Mutual, Michaels is looking forward to relocating to the West Coast and furthering her passion for developing talent and building relationships.

In partnership with the company’s Distribution Growth Ventures (DGV) team, which is focused on growing the company’s distribution system, the San Jose network office is a part of Northwestern Mutual’s investment and expansion in California.

Al Tamimi & Company expands its corporate commercial business across MENA

Al Tamimi & Company has appointed Nick Watson as Partner and regional Head of its Corporate Commercial department. With over 25 years of international law firm experience, Nick has spent the majority of his career being in the Middle East region. And for the leading law firm in the Middle East and North Africa, the two hires further strengthen its capabilities throughout its 17 offices spread across 10 countries.

Nick has spent a number of years undertaking leadership responsibilities for both corporate practices, and the growth and development of Middle East business. He is highly regarded and experienced in leading cross border and domestic M&A, and capital markets transactions, advising on corporate law issues, and he has significant exposure to the UAE, Oman, and KSA markets. Nick will be based at the firm’s Dubai office; however, his role will include working with all the Corporate Commercial Partners across each of Al Tamimi & Company’s locations.

Nick is joined by Suhail Mirza, who comes on board as Partner in the firm’s Corporate Commercial Practice in Dubai. Suhail has been practicing in the UAE for over 15 years specialising in M&A, Infrastructure and Technology (including fintech digital

payment and e-commerce) transactions. Both appointments further emphasise the value Al Tamimi & Company places on delivering the best knowledge, experience, and expertise to its clients across the region.

Commenting on the new Corporate Commercial hires, Samer Qudah, Managing Partner at Al Tamimi & Company said:

“The Corporate Commercial practice is built on our knowledge and depth of understanding the Middle East and North Africa legal and regulatory landscape, and with their experience Nick and Suhail will add significant value to the team and the firm.

“Our Corporate Commercial practice has been growing over the years and boasts a one-of-a-kind footprint across the region’s transactional markets. We wanted to bring on board experts with exposure to the region, and in Nick we have found the right person to lead our Practice. Along with Suhail, and our other 17 experienced Corporate Commercial Partners, the team will add more value and deepen our existing offer and enable us to meet our commitment to the success of our clients”.

New Partner, and regional Head of Corporate Commercial, Nick Watson said:

“I am delighted to come on board to lead Al Tamimi & Company’s Corporate Commercial Practice. The firm’s reputation is undisputable as a leader across the entire Middle East and North Africa, and this practice area is a cornerstone for the firm.

“We want to continue to grow the reputation of the Corporate Commercial practice across the MENA region, and ensure our clients have access to leading practitioners, and a strong knowledge base that offers the optimum solutions. I look forward

to working with my fellow Partners and colleagues across our offices, to provide clients with excellent legal services and intelligence that is synonymous with Al Tamimi & Company”.

On joining Al Tamimi & Company, new Corporate Commercial Partner, Suhail Mirza commented:

“Having been in the region since 2008, I have come to admire the full service offering that Al Tamimi & Company has to offer. Increasingly, clients in the region require a depth of experience and expertise that only a few law firms can offer on a regional basis. With its footprint of offices across the MENA region, I am delighted to be part of a law firm that

can provide a seamless integrated service in all the key regional markets”.

As the firm bolsters its Corporate Commercial practice with these prominent hires, it highlights its commitment to ensure clients have access to the best expertise and experience in the market and demonstrates the firm’s desire to achieve its ambitious vision, to be the leading law firm in the Middle East and North Africa.

Quad/Graphics, Inc.(“Quad” or the “company”), a global marketing experience company, recently announced that Beth-Ann Eason, a digital transformation leader, has been appointed to Quad’s board of directors, effective January, 2023. Eason, who most recently was Managing Director and Senior Digital Transformation Executive at Accenture, also will join Quad’s Compensation Committee.

digital video production to augmented reality activations while also printing everything from catalogs to packaging—creates a range of integrated capabilities I haven’t seen at other companies. Together with its superior talent and an inimitable culture, Quad has a competitive advantage that will help it achieve continued growth. I am excited to be part of Quad’s path forward.”

Eason’s appointment, which expands Quad’s board from nine to 10 directors, signals an important step in the Company’s efforts to accelerate its growth strategy as a marketing experience company.

“Beth-Ann’s deep background in advertising, marketing, publishing and digital transformation further strengthens our focus on guiding brands through every effort intended to drive action — from consumer awareness and trust, to brand preference and purchase,” said Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President & CEO of Quad. “She understands first-hand the challenges facing our clients and will be instrumental in our ongoing efforts to drive Quad’s continued revenue growth. We are pleased to welcome Beth-Ann to our board and look forward to leveraging her expertise to enhance our competitive position as a marketing experience company.”

Said Eason: “Quad is a rapidly evolving company focused on perfecting the marketing journey through creative innovation, process improvement and relentless transformation. Its ability to deploy an unparalleled data-driven arsenal—from

During her time at Accenture, Eason led C-suite engagements for prominent brands as they evolved and transformed, drawing on her widespread digital marketing and digital media experience. While at Innovid, the world’s largest connected TV and video advertising software platform, Eason led worldwide sales of its technology platform, digital marketing, social media and client services. Her other career experience includes executive positions at Condé Nast, where she led digital development; News Corporation; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia; Yahoo; Ziff Davis Media; and Double Click.

Eason’s expertise in digital transformation has made her a critical member of the organizations shaping the advertising and media industries. She has served on the boards of the professional bodies of American Advertising Federation, Online Publishers Association, Interactive Advertising Bureau and Mobile Marketing Association. She also has served as President of Advertising Club of New York, during which time she led the development of I’Mpart, an industry-wide diversity and inclusion program. She is also an inductee of the Advertising Hall of Achievement.

Birdeye announces acquisition of Cube

Birdeye, One of the leading all-in-one digital customer experience platform, announced the acquisition of Cube Online (Cube), One of the Australia’s leading customer experience platform.

More than 3,000 businesses trust Cube in Asia-Pacific and Europe. Cube helps businesses connect with consumers through its digital customer experience platform, enabling local brands and businesses to go digital to be found online, generate reviews, monitor and post on social media, and holistically view all customer touchpoints. With the acquisition of Cube, Birdeye now has more than 100,000 businesses and nearly 1,000 employees worldwide.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cube to the Birdeye family,” said Naveen Gupta, Cofounder and CEO of Birdeye. “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 65% of all customer interactions are

digital, and local brands and businesses have been forced to adapt to this new reality. As more and more consumers expect the convenience of digital interactions, it’s becoming clear that going digital is now a necessity for every business. Cube’s all-in-one digital customer experience platform mirrors Birdeye’s, and combining our two companies is a win for all customers, especially businesses with a global presence.”

While many other software companies are downsizing investments in innovation and people, Birdeye has been on a tear recently announcing brand new products like Social, Appointments as well as hiring top talent. Birdeye has been the highest-rated reputation and customer experience platform in the last five years, and recently got the rare distinction of rating #1 in sixty-four different categories on G2.

The acquisition of Cube expands Birdeye’s

international presence into Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. By combining the two businesses, Cube customers worldwide can utilize best-inclass software that manages all aspects of their digital customer experience, and thousands of Cube customers have already migrated to the Birdeye platform. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

“Birdeye’s product innovation, customer obsession, and company culture make this a natural fit,” said Tony VanEyk, Co-Founder and CEO of Cube Online. “This is a great outcome for Cube customers as they will access the best technology in the world and massively enhanced support infrastructure. We couldn’t be more excited to join the Birdeye family, and we look forward to the work ahead.”

ABK forecasts a 19% increase in net profit in 2022

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) reported a net profit of KD 32.3 million in the financial year 2022. The increase in the net profit compared to the same period in 2021 was 19 percent. Net operating profit rose by 10 percent to a total KD 90.1 million, and earnings per share were 14 fils, compared to 12 fils the previous year. Total assets grew by 14 percent to KD 6.4 billion, customer deposits by 13 percent to KD 4.4 billion, and the loan portfolio increased by 19percent to reach KD 4.04 billion.

The Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio stood at 1.43 percent and NPL coverage was at 366 percent. The Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) reached 15.62 percent while the Shareholders’ Equity stood at KD 504 Million.

The Board of Directors has recommend the distribution of 8 fils per share as cash dividends to shareholders, in addition to distributing 5 percent bonus shares. These proposed distributions are subject to the approval of

the ABK Annual General Meeting.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Talal Behbehani, Group Chairman of Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait, said, “The financial performance reflect the Group’s long-term plan, centered on customeroriented products, investing in its employees, and boost the Bank’s share in the market while adhering to prudent risk management practices and enhancing the share of Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait in the local and regional markets.”

“In addition, the Group also maintained strong credit ratings, “A” Rating by Fitch Credit Rating Agency with a Stable Outlook, and “A2” Rating by Moody’s with a Stable Outlook. Further, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait was also awarded a ‘Category 1 Banking License’ by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), a license upgrade, which allows ABKDIFC to provide customers with a vast portfolio of wholesale banking services from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Branch,

including accepting deposits from corporates, financial institutions and high net worth individuals”.

Mr. Behbehani also expressed his appreciation for the executive team’s foresight and planning and to all staff for their dedication in working diligently to apply the standards of sustainability, good governance and social responsibility contributing wholly to the healthy growth of the balance sheet, profitability and strong credit ratings.

Mr. George Richani, Group Chief Executive Officer of Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait, reiterated that: “At Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait, we were able to succeed in increasing operating profits by a noteworthy rate in Kuwait. This growth was driven by the full transformation strategy of all our business lines and operations.”

Mr. George Richani, further stated that: Customer experience is one of the priorities of Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait’s strategy, in addition to focusing on maximizing the value of operations and diversifying its sectors in addition to expanding in the main markets, enhancing risk management capabilities and innovation to achieve excellence in customer service. He further highlighted the successful closing of a USD 825 million Term Loan Facility, securing one of the largest financing related to a Kuwaiti financial institution. This facility is the largest in ABK’s history

and will enable ABK to continue growing, expanding its business, and strengthening its relationships and is evidence of the trust worldwide investors have in ABK, its strategy, and future outlook.

Mr. Richani also highlighted the Group’s approach based on prudent policies and studied future expectations regarding growth, as the Bank is taking great strides towards digital transformation and following up with market needs, while recording steady growth on the financial level and reinforcing the aspirations of all the Bank’s shareholders and customers alike.

Corporate Social Responsibility

ABK has been striving to fulfil its commitment to society. The year 2022 saw the Bank engage itself actively on a variety of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, especially those targeted at the development of the youth in Kuwait.

As nationalization of manpower is key to the future of Kuwait and the nation’s youth, ABK has always stood out as one of the leading employers of choice for Kuwaiti nationals, and continues to demonstrate its commitment to human capital and national employment by participating in numerous university career fairs.

The Bank recently held a recruitment initiative in collaboration with the Public Authority of Manpower, providing job seekers with information about the banking sector and ABK specifically. The initiative was aimed at encouraging Kuwaitis to join the private sector.

ABK continues to support the Central Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Banking Association’s joint awareness campaign, ‘Let’s Be Aware,’ to raise financial literacy awareness and ensure safe banking practices. To fulfil the campaign’s objectives, ABK partnered with private and government entities and various industry leaders which placed the Bank among the top performers for the campaign.

Meanwhile, ABK Group has made significant progress in terms of sustainability, and recently released its own 2021 Sustainability Report titled ‘Banking on a Sustainable Journey’. The report highlights several important initiatives undertaken by the Group, such as increasing nationalization by 5 percent, focusing on empowering women and youth, reducing emissions by 23 percent, and funding two major ESG projects that were successfully completed.

As a further step towards ‘Simpler Banking’ solutions, ABK launched a new Visa Infinite Privilege credit card for its Private Banking customers and also introduced new features to its salary transfer offering.

2022 was also exceptional with the celebration of the 20 years of the Bank’s strategic partnership with Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty program of Emirates Skywards, and Flydubai, and the co-branded ABK Emirates credit cards.

ABK has been implementing strategies to create stronger leaders for the future like the recently concluded first phase of the Executive Leadership Program. It included an array of both digital learning modules and various workshops. Through this program, ABK seeks to lift potential leaders to higher levels, offering them an opportunity to improve their leadership skills and realize their full potential.

Al-Futtaim Toyota unveiled the brand new seven-seater Toyota Veloz

Building on the promise of bringing cars that deliver value and the joy of driving to all, Al-Futtaim Toyota has announced the launch of the all-new Toyota Veloz, a seven-seater family SUV. The spacious vehicle blends sleek design with comfort and functionality, and comes equipped with a host of advanced features that have been developed and been introduced into the UAE in response to the demands of today’s modern-day family customers.

The new Toyota Veloz is a supremely practical vehicle that combines efficient fuel economy of 19.3km/l and maneuverability on narrow roads with ample interior space. Envisioned as a subcompact group carrier, it features three rows of seats that can comfortably accommodate seven passengers thanks to flexible seating configurations to offer an exceptional ride. The vehicle’s outstanding performance is ready to

take on the demands of users seeking an urban and modern lifestyle in their daily drives, while its enhanced safety features deliver added protection and peace of mind.

Commenting on the launch, Jacques Brent, Managing Director of AlFuttaim Lexus, said: “In line with our commitment to offering vehicles that delight and enhance the lifestyles of our customers in every way, we are excited to introduce the Veloz, an SUV that is entirely new to the UAE market. Developed around the theme ‘Easy to drive anywhere, anytime, and for anyone’, the Veloz aligns with Al-Futtaim Toyota’s strategic vision to empower people to experience the joy of mobility while providing outstanding safety and comfort on every journey. With its advanced features and spacious interior, our newest vehicle comes with a premium look that embodies Toyota’s commitment to Quality,

Durability, and Reliability. We are happy to bring the benefits of Toyota’s advanced technology to more drivers in the UAE, and believe our customers will be very satisfied with the benefits Veloz has to offer.”

The 2023 Toyota Veloz’s new platform and highly rigid body structure contribute to outstanding handling, stability, and ride comfort, even on rough roads or with multiple passengers. The vehicle features newly developed MacPherson strut-type front suspension, which provides linear and direct driving dynamics, while the rear is equipped with a new torsion beam suspension system. Drivers can experience three different driving modes with a choice of ECO, Normal, and Power modes to suit a variety of driving conditions and styles. The vehicle also boasts excellent maneuverability, with a 5.0-meter turning radius.

The new Toyota Veloz delivers smooth acceleration and a dynamic driving experience thanks to its four-cylinder 1.5-liter capacity engine with 16-valve DOCH and dual VVT-I, which produces 105 horsepower and 138 Nm of torque with fuel consumption of 19.3 km/l. Paired with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that simulates a seven-speed sequential shift transmission to deliver powerful, smooth acceleration from startoff and at low speeds, as well as quiet, efficient transmission at higher speeds with excellent fuel efficiency.

A unique front design has been adopted, with the high nose and large trapezoid grille creating a proud expression. The slim LED headlamps and chrome moldings give an elegant, yet sporty look. On the side, the strong character lines running from the nose to the rear express length and presence, which is

complemented by largediameter wheels and over fenders. At the back, long rear combination lamps emphasize the vehicle’s wide stance and stability. Toyota has prioritized comfort and convenience throughout the 2023 Veloz’s interior. Upon entering the vehicle, passengers are welcomed by ambient lighting that complements the overall feel of the spacious cabin, which comes with a range of advanced and practical features. These include a 7-inch color MultiInformation Display (MID), which is complemented by an 8-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android AutoTM integration for seamlessly connected journeys. The vehicle also features a wireless charging pad for smartphones and three dedicated USB charging ports for the first and second rows, as well as two 12V sockets for powering other types of devices.

three rows of seats can accommodate up to seven people, while the second and third rows can be folded together or individually for different layouts that provides passengers with more comfort and can carry more cargo, including longer items. It comes equipped with ample storage compartments throughout, including a total of 12 cup and drinking bottle holders for occupants. Additional comforts include a 6-speaker sound system, a powerful automatic air conditioning system with rear control panel, rear sonar, and smart entry and start systems. Meanwhile, parents benefit from the added peace of mind with the ISOFIX safety system, which attaches baby seats securely.

The new Toyota Veloz’s

As with any Toyota model, the vehicle comes complete with a comprehensive array of safety features. These include six SRS airbags (front airbags for the driver and passenger,

Toyota Veloz

side airbags for the front seats, and side-curtain airbags for all three rows of seats), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electric Parking Brake (EPB) with Brake hold function, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Traction Control (TRC), Hill-start Assist

Control (HAC), Tire Pressure Warning System (TPWS), and many more.

A choice of six exciting exterior hues adds to the 2023 Veloz’s bold new look. These include Platinum White Pearl, Siler Metallic, Grey Metallic, Dark Red Metallic, Black Metallic, and

the newly developed color Purplish Silver Metallic. Meanwhile, the spacious interior cabin is furnished with a stylish black and grey color scheme. The new Veloz is equipped with 17-inch machined finished 10-spoke aluminum wheels that further enhance the vehicle’s appeal.

KIPCO signs USD 525 mln credit facility

The Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) announced that it has signed a USD 525 million (KD 160.4 million equivalent) credit facility with a group of nine regional and international banks. The facility has an initial February 2025 maturity and a one-year extension option at KIPCO’s sole discretion.

Standard Chartered Bank acted as the coordinator, with First Abu Dhabi Bank as the agent. The credit facility has been committed by nine leading international and regional banks and financial institutions, namely Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Arab Banking Corporation, Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Gulf International Bank, HSBC Middle East Limited, JP Morgan Securities, Mashreq Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.

Commenting on the transaction, Mr Sunny Bhatia, KIPCO’s Group Chief Financial Officer, said:

“This facility is part of our prudent and pro-active liquidity and liabilities management strategy. The proceeds of this facility would mainly be used to settle the US$500 million Euro Medium Term Notes (EMTN) due on March 15th, 2023 and for general corporate purposes. The oversubscription of the facility demonstrates the strong support and the confidence of major relationship banks in our financing strategies.”

Heliogen onboards Christie Obiaya as CEO

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the company as we bring Heliogen’s renewable energy technology to customers looking to decarbonize their operations,” said Ms. Obiaya. “I look forward to bringing together Heliogen’s exceptional talent with our industry partners, and to delivering with excellence for our customers, employees, and stockholders.”

Heliogen, Inc. (“Heliogen”) , One of the leading provider of AI-enabled concentrating solar energy technology, recently announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has appointed Christie Obiaya as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and added Ms. Obiaya to the board of directors, effective immediately. Ms. Obiaya, head of Heliogen’s Executive Committee and formerly its Chief Financial Officer, replaces Bill Gross, who was removed as Chief Executive Officer and has resigned from the board of directors.

“As Heliogen moves forward on commercial projects, Christie brings almost two decades of operational and financial experience, with degrees and a working background in both business and engineering,” said Robert Kavner, Heliogen’s lead independent director. “Having served as Chief Financial Officer of Heliogen and chair of the executive committee, she is intimately familiar with our innovative renewable energy technology, our customers, and the priorities to drive our future success. This knowledge, together with her experience growing and managing energy and infrastructure development and sustainable technologies, make her the right person to take on these additional responsibilities. Christie, together with the rest of Heliogen’s management team, will focus on and advance the company’s strategic plan.”

Ms. Obiaya joined Heliogen in March 2021 as Chief Financial Officer and has worked closely

with the Company’s management team on commercializing its solar energy and thermal storage systems technology. Prior to joining Heliogen, Ms. Obiaya served as the head of strategy and chief financial officer for Bechtel Energy’s multi-billion-dollar, global energy business unit from 2017 to 2021. She also held various leadership roles at Bechtel in finance, strategy, project development, investment, and execution from 2010 to 2017. Prior to Bechtel, Ms. Obiaya worked on renewable energy projects in Kenya and India from 2008 to 2009. Ms. Obiaya began her career as an engineer, designing products and scaling up manufacturing processes at a multinational consumer goods company from 2004 to 2008.

Ms. Obiaya graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Bill Gross for his founding vision of Heliogen and providing the Company a platform for future success,” stated Mr. Kavner.

As part of the leadership transition, Kelly Rosser has been appointed interim Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Rosser has served as Heliogen’s Chief Accounting Officer since August 2022. Ms. Rosser brings over 20 years of financial executive experience as chief accounting officer, corporate controller, and auditing public companies.

NHS’s healthcare providers come together to form King’s International Consortium

King’s International Consortium, the UK’s first with the support of the NHS Export Collaborative, has been established. The recently launched consortium, which took place in London, was presided over by Lord Prior, former Chair of the NHS.

The five consortium members are King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and has the support of the NHS Export Collaborative, Healthcare UK, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.

The establishment of the NHS Export Collaborative and consortia is part of the 2019 NHS long-term plan, and aims to generate additional income and investment for the benefit of NHS patients.

The King’s International Consortium members have over 1,000 years of combined experience in delivering excellent and high-quality care to patients, both across the UK and internationally, including the Middle East, and have a proven record of accomplishment in

delivering international projects and offering expertise across all clinical specialities.

Charles Alexander, Joint Chair for Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s; Dr Mike More, Chair for Cambridge University Hospitals; Christine Outram MBE, Chair for The Christie; and Ros Given-Wilson, Interim Chair for Moorfields released a joint statement of support.

“We are delighted to have established King’s International Consortium, which brings together five of the most innovative and internationally recognised healthcare providers from the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

“The aim of King’s International Consortium is to export British healthcare collaboratively, by working in partnership with external investors to deliver large-scale international healthcare projects, to market our world-class capabilities and to bring in additional income and investment for the benefit of NHS patients.

“This innovation, the first of its kind in the UK, will strengthen our position as being leaders in the field of exporting NHS standards of care and quality.

“We are grateful to the NHS Export Collaborative and Healthcare UK, as well as NHS England and The Department of Health and Social Care.

“We are committed to ensuring the King’s International Consortium is a success for its partners and the NHS.”

At the launch event, Lord Prior, former Chair of the NHS said: “This is a great achievement and I wanted to congratulate those who put this strong consortium of NHS member Trusts together. I am excited and encouraged for the future of King’s International Consortium and for the opportunities the members will have by working together.”

Dr Aphrodite Spanou, Director for Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate –Department for International Trade, said: “King’s International Consortium is a vanguard model of collaborative working. Healthcare UK has eagerly followed and supported its establishment as they create a combined global healthcare presence. I am pleased to be invited to this launch event and congratulate its members on the innovations they deliver that make a difference to patients at home and abroad.”

All services delivered by the King’s International Consortium will be managed via King’s Commercial Services.

GM Sectec and A2Secure form an alliance boosting European Businesses Digital Security

GM Sectec, a Cybersecurity global leader, and A2Secure, experts in digital security and managed cybersecurity, have recently announced a strategic alliance jointly across the European continent with their cybersecurity and governance solutions that prevent and manage information security-related risks.

Industry sources added that this alliance between the two cybersecurity leaders is in line with these measures and offers GM Sectec’s experience in cybersecurity solutions and services, governance and compliance with standards related to digital risk management. A2Secure is the

European market leader in managed cybersecurity services and interim consulting for organizations that need to improve their risk maturity and quickly build or expand their security capacity to protect such organizations from ongoing cybersecurity threats and ensure business continuity.

Industry sources also confirmed it is vital that companies across all business sectors strengthen information security management teams and implement efficient cybersecurity strategies that will enable them to continue to grow and provide their customers with a

secure shopping experience. Through this alliance, companies are empowered with responsible innovation in the form of deep cyber defenses that support the development and implementation of strategic solutions to prevent and protect against threats, ensure the integrity of their systems, and protect consumers.

Industry sources also added that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and

growing geopolitical challenges, adopting a common approach to cybersecurity and information security has become a necessity. The European Commission has therefore proposed regulations on cybersecurity and information security. By establishing common frames of reference and priorities, these actions will boost the inter-agency cooperation, mitigate risks and help consolidate an EU security culture.

Héctor Guillermo Martínez, President of GM Sectec stated

“In a rapidly developing global economy, companies in Europe urgently need cybersecurity tools to protect their data. We are very excited to strengthen this alliance with A2Secure to work together to help organizations understand their true cyber risks and provide them with effective and timely tools to strengthen their security.”

Albert Morell, President by A2Secure stated

“For A2Secure, this alliance represents the growth and expansion of our service portfolio and the expansion of our global coverage. We are experts in the challenges posed by information security and regulatory compliance. Our goal is to continue to grow and update our service offering to respond to continuous risks, changing regulations or increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks that our customers need to respond to with agility. Joining forces with GM Sectec means expanding our boundaries with a global partner for whom we will offer a dedicated service offering and on-site response in the EMEA region.”

Entropik raises USD 25Mln Series B Funding round led by BVP and SIG VC

Entropik, a leading AI Powered Integrated Market Research platform provider, has raised $25 million in a Series B funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) and SIG Venture Capital (VC). The round also saw participation from Trifecta Capital, Alteria Capital, and long-time existing investor Bharat Innovation Fund.

Industry sources added that with this latest round of funding, Entropik will continue to disrupt consumer research for global brands and build world-class products out of India, enabling research, marketing, and product teams to move towards a more collaborative, agile, and scalable way to conduct research. They will also focus on expanding their footprint across the US, Europe, and Asian markets.

“The world is evolving fast, and brands, whose foundation is understanding its consumer preference & behavior, are failing to deliver meaningful experiences. In our mission to enable brands to achieve a robust understanding of its consumer, we are thrilled to have Bessemer Venture Partners and SIG Venture Capital join this journey. The new round also comes as a testament to the rigor and hard work put in by our global team and the trust put by enterprises in our offerings.”

Ranjan Kumar, Founder & CEO of Entropik, stated, Anant Puri, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners, stated

“We are delighted to partner with Ranjan, Lava, Bharat and the entire team at Entropik Tech, in their mission to create a globally leading Emotion AI platform. We believe the strength of the platform lies in its multi-modal, crossfunctional capabilities. We are excited to see the team extend their early leadership in the customer research category while continuing to expand into other categories as well.”

Bhavanipratap Rana, Investment Advisor to SIG Venture Capital, stated, Ashwin Raguraman, Co-founder and Partner, Bharat Innovation Fund, stated,

“Entropik provides a faster and cheaper alternative for businesses to interact and understand customer feedback. In an increasingly digital world, consumer and user insights become core to businesses’ success in cultivating a loyal customer

base. Marketers can now measure more accurately and assess consumer feedback with Entropik’s products, like Affect UX, Labs, and Decode. We are excited to invest and support the team at Entropik as they expand into new markets.”

“There is a special feeling when you have been at the start of what is an incredible journey. Entropik has grown tremendously, powered by its DeepTech solutions and a high-quality, continuously evolving team. In enabling brands to improve their customers experiences, they are the engine powering how customers interact

with their brands better. Their multimodal platform encompassing brainwave mapping, facial coding and voice tonality is globally unique. We hopped on the Entropik train a while back and are very happy to keep buying a ticket to extend our journey.”

ThinkMarkets puts cutting-edge trading platform technology in the

forefront to serve its trading community

Nobody can say the financial markets aren’t a rollercoaster. Financial crashes, economic downturns, and a global pandemic, no less, made for quite a ride within the last two decades.

Economic conditions are tough again this year. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought on a fullblown energy crisis, sending inflation to the highest in 40 years. Central banks around the globe responded aggressively. The resulting price swings in forex, stocks, precious metals, oil, gas, and other markets created an ideal backdrop for trading.

Volatility equals trading opportunity, and online brokers, such as ThinkMarkets, all want a slice of the cake.

Online trading has proliferated over the past decade. With the internet connecting people from around the world to free, readily available information and education around trading, it has become a more open avenue to explore for people from all backgrounds.

But how would an online broker make it in such cut-throat competition? The answer from ThinkMarkets is that it can only be done by observing constantly changing consumer behavior and giving traders what they want.

The shift in online trading

Some trade the financial markets as a hobby, others as a source of income, but consumers are ever-evolving and the way they want to trade is also constantly shifting.

As many traders seek to benefit from the current high volatility, these favorable conditions will also draw new traders to the industry. A shift in consumer behavior has seen that these new traders will be more discerning when choosing their online broker, and technology is taking center stage.

The safety and reliability that they can get through signing up with an established, wellregulated broker is just a starting point. An intuitive trading platform with rich charting and analytics tools, available from the palm

of their hand and across devices, as well as a promptly available customer support team closely follows their list of what they are looking for.

These are the prominent areas for ThinkMarkets, too, where the global online broker has invested heavily as it aims to provide a bestin-class experience for its traders.

For this reason, ThinkMarkets is honored to have won the 2022 awards for the Best Trading Platform and the Best Customer Service Provider, both on a global scale, from World Business Outlook, a Singaporebased magazine for the worldwide business community.

Moulding to the needs

When everything is instantly accessible on the internet, it’s no surprise that online traders expect the same experience. In this digital age, they want to access global markets anytime, from anywhere, with every option available to them at record speed.

This new generation of traders has pushed the need for instant, online products and applications to the forefront. This creates a challenge for online brokers to respond.

ThinkMarkets has closely monitored online traders and their changing needs since its inception in 2010, investing significant time and resources into developing world-class products that offer superior trading experience for its clients.

ThinkTrader, its custom-built, proprietary trading platform offers unique, one-click trading and ultra-fast execution. It has quickly gained popularity with traders and has gone on to win several awards.

The ThinkTrader mobile app is loved for its advanced charting system that allows traders to view four different instruments on the same screen, known as quad-screen display, letting them enjoy a professional trading view even on the go.

In a digital age where we are now designed to be ‘on’ and connected all the time, online traders want to be as close to the financial markets as possible, meaning a trading platform they use, must work smarter for them.

ThinkTrader offers more than 200 cloud-based alerts and triggers to ensure that traders can keep on top of the fast-paced global markets without even being logged in to their accounts. With an alert set, a trader can get a notification if, for instance, the price of an instrument or an indicator reaches a certain level and act on it right there and then.

Within ThinkTrader there’s an intelligent tool called TrendRisk Scanner which constantly browses markets to flag up trading opportunities. It displays the target direction and price, the estimated timeframe, and the risk-reward ratio of each trade it recommends.

Several other features of ThinkTrader are aimed at making sure traders never miss an opportunity to enter a position.

Live prices appear inside the home screen that traders can click to open a position. The platform also displays important news stories from the last few days and economic insights calendar that lists all the upcoming data releases to help traders get their positions in order before important economic announcements.

ThinkMarkets launched a web-based version of ThinkTrader in the middle of this year. This means that the intuitive trading features, charting and analytics tools familiar from the mobile app are now accessible on desktops and laptops without the need to install software. Traders can seamlessly transition between devices and keep trading wherever they are.

ThinkMarkets is prized within the online trading community for its client support, and this is what earned the company its second accolade this year from World Business Outlook.

Just like its proprietary trading platform, customer support is also in the focus for continuous investment and technological innovation at ThinkMarkets. The multilingual support staff, knowledgeable in all aspects of trading and the ThinkMarkets offer, is on hand to deal with requests 24 hours a day. Since last year, they are available every day of the week, even on weekends.

Traders can reach the Client Support team by phone, email and LiveChat. As a result

of further technical integration, it’s also available right from within the ThinkTrader app and ThinkPortal, the company’s account management platform.

Next year promises to be another momentous one. In 2023, ThinkMarkets is planning to further broaden the scope of instruments offered on ThinkTrader, enhance the technology, and make continuous improvements to speed and development. We are also aiming to expand our global presence and build on our current markets. As always, technology and customer support will receive prominence with further enhancements coming to the website, ThinkTrader and LiveChat.

Era of Digital Currency and its Influence

There’s a motif around the world and especially in India about the regulation of Digital Currency for easier, cheaper, and faster transaction. But how beneficial is this new digital form of rupee or currency to India? Let’s check out.

Digital rupee or digital currency is a digital version of the Indian Rupee. The ‘E-rupee,’ ‘e₹ ‘, or ‘CBD’, which stands for ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’, is another name for this. The currency is issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the commencement of the pilot project of the same started from November 1, 2022.

The Reserve Bank of India initiated the digital currency regulation with the intention of providing an additional method of payment that is similar to bank notes.The only difference is that the digital money is intended to take place digitally, facilitating usability. Additionally, it offers all the advantages for transactions as is available for other types of digital money. Being a legal tender in a digital form, the digital currency will also be regulated by the Central Bank of India, similar to bank notes. As per RBI, it will be exchangeable at par with current currencies and accepted as payment and a secure place to keep wealth.

Will CBDC replace bank note?

Digital currency is tracked and transferred using online system. As per RBI, the digital currency can serve as a unit of account and a medium for regular transactions and is identical to its physical counterpart in both concept and use. But it’s not cash. Though slowly and gradually, people could

head towards using digital currency due to its easy, fast and cheap features, RBI will not replace physical or bank notes with these new digital currencies. RBI wants digital currency with little or no disruption to bank notes.

Many people wonder when there’s cryptocurrency then why digital money? But there’s a huge difference between these two kinds of money. The electronic equivalent of fiat currency, known as digital currencies, allow for contactless exchanges between parties, such as sending money electronically from one’s bank account to another. Digital currency is used in every online transaction; once you withdraw money from a bank or ATM, that digital currency is converted into usable cash. However, we can’t transfer cryptocurrency into a usable cash.

Cryptocurrencies, also known as digitally encrypted coins/virtual coins, are a type of strong encrypted store of value. All these digital coins were developed privately by individual owners using cutting-edge blockchain technology, and most nations have not yet regulated them. On the other hand, digital currencies don’t come with blockchain-based encryption. Users should secure their banking apps and

digital wallets with strong passwords and biometric verification whenever possible to reduce the risk of theft and hacking. The same holds true for debit and credit cards, which are essential for all the transactions using digital currency.

Digital currency transactions are governed by a central authority, the RBI in India, which also oversees the use of liquid cash and other traditional forms of payment. Hence, it is a centralised currency. Cryptocurrencies operate under a decentralised structure that is not overseen by a single entity. However, a decentralised ledger that is open to everyone records every cryptographic transaction.

According to RBI, cryptocurrencies are not considered as valid currencies because a central bank or government must issue every kind of money today and hence issuing of digital rupee was must. On the other hand, digital rupee is India’s accepted version of digital currency.

Digital currency vs Cryptocurrency

How Digital Currency is profitable for the people?

Digital currency will allow us to make efficient transfer of money. Further, it enables low transaction costs, faster settlement of funds, lesser downtime, and smooth and soft cross-border transactions. On business part, digital money has the potential to change how we shop, save, and conduct business in ways that we likely do not even completely comprehend now, as well as increase financial inclusion and expand international trade. According to a recent press release from RBI, ‘Digital Currencies like Digital Rupee enables enables two entities to carry out money transactions without the involvement of

Conclusion

Cash placement and tracking are difficult in India. CBDC can address anonymity, find a non-threatening solution, and lessen the need for cash. The government will reduce operational, printing, distribution, and

the bank.’ Like the physical notes, however, India is regulating its digital rupee to bring it under the tax purview. People who are looking to carry out transactions beyond a certain amount would have to disclose their identity, similar to the norm followed in physical cash transaction.

India, being the pioneer for national digital currency, will be keenly observed across the globe for the creation, distribution and retail usage of the national digital currency. RBI is currently testing the anonymity, security and privacy related to the new digital currency.

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storage expenses, advancing its goal of a cashless society. Initiating digital currency will make India move forward in the race of virtual currency.

Blog article by Tasleem Majumder

Having the right third-party logistics partner is vital to the function of your business. The right partner can help you improve efficiency, control costs, and deliver exceptional customer service, but the wrong one can devastate your business. Here are some things to look for when choosing the best third-party logistics partner for your business.

The logistics industry is growing, so new businesses are showing up overnight. It’s important to do your due diligence in choosing the right partner for your business. If you are looking for your first provider, it’s important to seek out partners with the resources and capabilities that matter most. If you’re leaving a previous provider, make a list of what you liked and disliked, then look for providers that offer similar services.

Third-party logistics providers should have the capability to integrate into current systems or the knowledge to find a solution that satisfies your needs and goals. You

Do Your Due Diligence Technology Solutions

Technology is revolutionizing the logistics industry, and you want to make sure you have a logistics partner that offers the technology infrastructure you need to succeed. Look for providers with their own technology for their services, such as warehouse management solutions, inventory analytics, fleet tracking systems, and more. If the provider offers additional technology solutions, such as fleet tracking using RFID, that’s a plus.

should also consider the provider’s industry experience, brand stability, and financial history. Look at everything, including owned vs. rented assets, operating regions, and compliance history.

Speaking to the provider is a good start, but you should conduct external research to gain an understanding of the customer sentiment and general reputation. Read reviews, good and bad, and see what the company did well. You can also ask for references from past customers, which any reputable logistics provider should be happy to provide.

As more and more technology solutions are being used in supply chain management and logistics, companies that don’t take a proactive approach to innovation may be left behind the curve. Find providers that are willing to adopt new technologies as needed.

Logistics providers may offer a range of services or they may specialize in certain services, such as industry or commodity services. The options may include shipping, sourcing, transporting, customs management, and other individual services, such as multi-function supply chain management. You may be able to find providers who specialize in different aspects of the supply chain as well.

Omnichannel Experiences

Omnichannel retail is an important trend in the business world to improve the customer experience. Any third-party logistic provider you consider should understand the value of omnichannel commerce and how it can be used to enhance the relationship between your business and your customers.

If you can find a provider that offers additional services, you can get plenty of value from your partnership. These may include rush order, product kitting, quality control, IT asset management, reverse logistics, and more. Evaluate your individual needs and see if value-added services are beneficial for your business.

Search for logistics providers with proven industry performance, repeatable business models, or an in-depth understanding of your business type. You may want a provider with specialization in different aspects of the supply chain, or maybe an end-to-end supplier would be the better choice. Consider not only your current needs, but your future needs.

Optimized Distribution Networks

When you’re considering a thirdparty logistics provider, evaluate their warehousing asset ecosystem. Your chosen partner should have a network with optimized distribution to suit storage on domestic or international routes. If your provider doesn’t own these warehouses, you could be vulnerable to quality control or theft issues.

It’s important to consider the sizes and capabilities of the facilities, their locations, and the volume of goods the provider usually handles. For example, what is the volume per day, week, month, or year? Are the warehouses located near major transit areas like railways and airports? Does the provider have systems in place to handle high volume and potential delays during busy periods or congestion?

Customization Options

Some industries may benefit from customization options with a third-party logistics provider. Effective providers offer options to enhance your business processes like

Brand Alignment

Any business partnership reflects on both parties. You should find logistics providers who share your brand values and represent you the way you choose. Consider the provider’s compliance history, financial stability, and dedication to continually improving systems and processes as the market changes.

Exceptional Service

Logistics partners reflect on your business and have a big impact on the processes and customer service you can provide. Your provider should be as dedicated to success as you are, both with ensuring you provide exceptional customer service to your customers and in the service they provide to you.

Find Your 3PL Partner

With a new logistics company seemingly starting up every day during a market boom, it can be overwhelming to choose the right logistics partner for your business. Not all logistics providers are a good choice for your business or offer the services and capabilities that benefit

inventory optimization to serve customers more efficiently. Discuss any customization options with your prospective providers to see what’s available.

Third-party logistics providers are intended as long-term partners. You don’t want to have to repeat this process regularly, so partnering with the right one from the start is key to developing a strong and lasting partnership that’s there to support you as your business scales.

For example, if a new solution offers an opportunity for better systems or processes, your logistics partner should be prepared to work with you to find new ways to improve. Not every trend or solution will be the right choice for your business, but an innovative logistics partner will consider the options instead of relying on familiar processes.

you, so it’s vital that you take your time evaluating potential partners and looking for the best option for your unique needs. Ideally, you’ll find a partner with an interest in a long-term, successful partnership and continual growth and development.

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Article

by David L. Buss, CEO of DB Schenker USA

Video Content: An Essential Norm in the Influencer Market

This is a universal fact that pictorial representation leaves a strong impact on the viewers or the audiences. This thought has been going on for a long time that images or videos capture more attention rather than textual presentation. Studies say that images stick to readers’ minds for a long time, providing them with a substantial and clear meaning or knowledge of any subject. A renowned education consultant, Dr. Lynell Burmark, writes about visual literacy “Unless our

Era of Video Content

In today’s world of internet and fastpaced life, people prefer watching videos for grasping any information clearly and quickly. The social media platforms are the prime reasons for boosting and circulating the video content. It is the main driver for the growth of video content. Whether it is a DIY video, an explanation about any product, or news updates, video content is always popular among different target groups. Another factor that has strengthened the rise of video content lately, is the massive COVID-19 pandemic that shook the whole world. During the pandemic, it was

words, concepts, and ideas are hooked onto an image, they will go in one ear, sail through the brain, and go out the other ear. Words are processed by our short-term memory, where we can only retain about seven bits of information. Images, on the other hand, go directly into our longterm memory, where they are indelibly etched.” Hence, people prefer visual content, whether in the form of images or videos, when it comes to acquiring any information.

mandatory to stay indoors and restrict going out, and hence this increased the use of video content to a great extent. The marketing community has recently been buzzing about video content. Although video marketing has been around for a while, it has only recently begun to grow at an astounding rate. Through 2022, video is expected to continue to be a top focus for marketers and may even rise. Research says that video will account for more than 82 percent of all internet traffic in 2022.

Influencer Market

Now when we talk about the influencer market, it is apparent that this market uses video content as its prime marketing strategy. Influencer market, basically, is a type of marketing where marketers or influencers promote a brand to a large audience. They are thought leaders with a large audience and hence influencers are aware of what’s trending and what people are interested in. Therefore, these social media influencers involve a brand, collaborate with another influencer, and promotes products or services.

Influencer marketing is becoming a widely used strategy for online promotion. For some time now, it has been a buzzword, and the mainstream media frequently makes use of it. Influencer marketing blends conventional and contemporary marketing techniques. By transforming celebrity endorsement into a content-driven marketing campaign, it modernises the concept for the current period. This marketing strategy fuses together the resources of businesses with that of the creativity of the influencers.

Why do marketers prefer video content?

According to research, 86% of video marketers, up by 2% in 2021 and by 5% since 2019, say that video is effective at lead generation. According to some marketers, a video is equivalent to 27,000 words per second if it has 27 frames per second, and an image has a word count of 1,000. There is a lot more information being communicated emotionally. It is much more authentic. It has

How to use the videos?

The options available to marketers when leveraging video content are numerous. Consequently, it is easy to select a plan that fits with a company’s marketing goals.

Youtube: In addition to leveraging the traditional method of watching videos, i.e., television, platforms such as Youtube videos are now trending. YouTube is now more

a level of credibility and honesty to it that writing may not always provide. Text cannot convey facial expressions. People essentially receive a firehouse of information in the form of video, and they thrive off that. Video content captivates and bonds with viewers while delivering pertinent information that they will pay attention to.

frequently used by viewers than traditional TV.

Other social media platforms, such as Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram, are more trending now because they allow one to upload short-duration videos that are cheap and quick and directly speak to the audiences. With industry giants like Facebook, YouTube,

and Twitch all providing options for businesses to stream live content, live video has become more popular in recent years. Video captured live has its uses. Facebook claims that live broadcasting generates six times as many interactions as regular videos.

Webinar is another popular tool right now. Businesses use it to meet with clients via online mode. This platform can be leveraged to interact directly with one’s target audiences, asking them specific questions or educating them about a product.

A brand can use influencer marketing and content creators in a variety of ways by using a video format, including:

Using product seeding is the least expensive strategy. Seeding products can be risky and

Conclusion

The use of video in marketing campaigns is highly recommended. More than ever, businesses can easily create and share highquality video content. The usage of video content in the influencer market will only

error prone. It entails providing your brand’s items to a select group of content producers in the hopes that they will enjoy them enough to share a video on their social media channels about them.

As a brand, if one really wants to benefit from influencer marketing, integrated or dedicated videos are a terrific method to do this. Integrated videos take place when a content creator talks about your brand in their own work, offering a subtle but effective form of promotion that will nonetheless be noticed by their audience. Dedicated videos, on the other hand, are made by a creator specifically for a brand. Dedicated videos make sure that viewers grasp the brand completely when they leave.

increase to persuade the target audiences to buy products, services, or ideas. If you do not already include video in your content strategy, you might want to consider trying out a few projects.

- Blog by Tasleem Majumder

Our Advanced Digital Solutions boosts banks and fintechs: Joseph Chan of AsiaPay

AsiaPay was recently adjudged as ‘Best Digital Payment Partner Hong Kong 2022‘ by World Business Outlook. The following is an exclusive interview with Joseph Chan, CEO of AsiaPay.

As the founder and CEO of AsiaPay Group, Joseph started up the first high-quality third-party digital payment service and technology firm in 2000 in Hong Kong, spearheaded the company’s business strategies and product development together with his management team, and leads AsiaPay becoming one of the most successful world-class digital payment companies in Asia.

In regard to business growth and market recognition, Joseph presents his longterm vision which is to operate a successful and socially responsible company that continually provides individuals and corporate entities with the newest digital payment values, readily enhances one’s quality of life, and maximizes business opportunities, efficiency and productivity.

AsiaPay works closely with our partners in the AI, metaverse, crypto, and NFT-related businesses. With the capabilities of the web3 payment, we aim to strengthen the sales scene, use virtual social space as attraction, product display, and sales as a reality, and enhance the interest and purchase intention of potential buyers, coupled with cryptocurrency-led payment.

Decentralizing blockchain can guarantee the fidelity and security of transactions and digital payments. While combining digital record authenticity in blockchain technologies and the automation of artificial intelligence can enhance data

security to prevent fraud in the fintech and digital commerce industries.

Along with digital transformation, there have been successful applications of robotics in F&B n hotel industries in Asia and more digital payment solution adoption follows to provide a more seamless and valued payment experience to customers.

AsiaPay continues to work closely with partners and startups in these technology areas and also web3 area like metaverse, and crypto to well capitalise on these technologies to provide more advanced payment solution to address coming business and market needs.

It’s a pleasure to have you. Tell me a bit about your journey and about heading AsiaPay.

On that note of innovation, what are your views, on things like blockchain, Artificial intelligence, and robotics?

How do you manage the making in the area of diversity and inclusion in terms of gender and cultural background?

AsiaPay always aims to remain a balanced and fair working environment with diversity and inclusion over its 16-country operations in Asia. As we serve merchants covering a wide range of

industries and operating across borders with close interaction with our teams in Asia, we respect the unique background, needs, perspectives, and potential of all team members. We:

Identify diversity and inclusion as key strategic priorities

Recruit and hire openly across Asia

Establish and enforce cross-country mentorship

Promote teamwork and foster relationships through overseas team training, yearly executive meetings…etc …

Acknowledge holidays of all cultures and celebrate

Be aware of any unconscious bias.

Ensure benefits and programs are inclusive

And, we set up a variety of staff performance and long-service awards to appreciate our team member’s contributions regardless of their genders, races, religion, nationalities, and sexual orientations. Every team member is

equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace.

Even in this highly competitive Fintech market, we have enjoyed relatively high retention over the years.

AsiaPay continues its business expansion in Asia with 16 operation offices as of date. What are the strategies for the Indonesian market?

Indonesia is one of the key emerging markets in Asia, according to a YStats. com report points that Indonesia mostly used “online wallet” (69%) alternatively to traditional payments in 2020. “Online wallet” was commonly used as an alternative payment method after the onset of COVID-19;

BimoPay is a payment gateway platform service offered by AsiaPay to address Indonesian digital payment needs, as Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Our key strategies shall emcompass,

Sales strategies and programs targeting key merchant segments;

Bank and payment and channel partnership;

Digital marketing campaigns enhancing brand and service awareness;

Do you see AsiaPay expanding its offering in the future?

How do you see 2023 coming?

With digitalization and technological innovations taking over the economic sector of the world, AsiaPay will continually bring advanced, secured, integrated, and cost-effective digital payment processing solutions and services to banks and eBusiness globally.

We will continually embrace change and innovate capitalizing on the technological trends and strength especially addressing

the coming evolution of digital commerce, smart retail, web 3.0 payment, payment data analytics, crypto/CBDC and blockchain technologies.

Apart from our existing 16-country operations in Asia, we will continue to expand our footprint in the world to expand our payment solution and service coverage, and further scale-out.

Developers contend with a variety of issues when building AI and machine learning systems. In particular, many find it difficult to obtain the high-quality, labeled data needed to train these systems. Others have trouble deploying AI models to production due to the lack of infrastructure and resources. Additionally, once a system is up and running, developers must continuously monitor and optimize it to ensure that it continues to function as intended.

The overall process of building AI is an expensive and time-consuming task, and is often reserved for developers with highly specialized skills. In an era where hyper-personalization, automation, and predictive functions are defining business sucess, the pressure for businesses to adopt AI rapidly has never been greater.

Fortunately, MongoDB is helping to overcome these challenges with serverless architecture. It is a cloudcomputing execution model in which the cloud provider runs the server, and the customer pays only for the resources used during specific periods of time, such as per request, or per second.

deploy AI models without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. This allows for more agility in the development process and leaves more room to create complex models, as the server management tasks fall on the cloud provider.

MongoDB’s Vivek Bhalla iterates developers’ constant struggle when it comes to updating APIs without a guarantee for backwards compatibility.

He said, “All software vendors have tried their best to ensure each release is backward-compatible, while also adding new features. However, even with this intention planned from the outset, breaking compatibility has sometimes been unavoidable in order to fix specific issues or deliver new capabilities.”

MongoDB has helped solve this pain point by enabling seamless upgrades while protecting previous work. To make updates and patches, you can upload bits of code without affecting the whole application.

Such technology makes it possible to

This is possible through the serveless’s decentralization approach, in which each function of a software runs individually.

As artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies have become more prevalent, the challenges of working with them have also increased.

The entire application need not be running, especially when only several components are servicing user requests.

These capabilities also offer a costeffective solution to maintain AI and machine learning systems. AI typically comes with expenses only the biggest tech companies can afford. For instance, Wired estimates the cost of developing the GPT-3 model to be around $5 million. And on average, training AI to do specific tasks can cost more than $50,000.

Traditionally, developers are charged for server use, regardless of how often AI models are trained. But cloud providers charge on a per execution basis, saving you money for unused server time and

counting only the number of API calls you make. Overall, MongoDB recognizes the common obstacles developers deal with when building AI-powered applications, which is why its serverless architecture aims to solve scalability, flexibility, production costs, and productivitiy. Going serverless helps developers navigate these pitfalls and also opens up opportunities for them to focus on more complex development tasks.

While serverless computing in itself still has limitations, the potential for revolutionizing the way we build AI applications is promising. With more companies adopting the technology, it remains to be seen how it will shape the future of the AI market.

- Blog from Kirsten M. Gonzales

A new study from Juniper Research has found that the number of credit cards issued via digital card issuance platforms will exceed 321 million globally by 2027, from 120 million in 2023. This growth of almost 170 percent reflects the use of new advanced digital capabilities, such as digital loyalty schemes and instant issuance, as card issuers aim to combat

competition, including buy now pay later.

Digital card issuance platforms allow card issuers to create cards using an APIdriven approach; enabling cards to be delivered instantly to digital wallets, with the option for a physical card; boosting flexibility significantly.

Digital Issuance Critical to Addressing USD 9.7 Trillion Opportunity

The new report, Credit Cards Strategies: Innovation Analysis, Digital Transformation & Market Forecasts 2023-2027, found that credit cards will account for over USD 9.7 trillion in spend globally by 2027. This represents a significant opportunity for card issuers to drive revenue growth by

choosing the optimal credit card strategy. It found that rising affluence in emerging markets will be a significant driver of credit card adoption. As such, digital card issuance platforms are critical to delivering credit offerings in these mobile wallet-dominated markets.

“In emerging markets, the ability to instantly issue digital cards will be a key factor in users choosing credit cards over other payment methods. Card issuance platform vendors must ensure localisation to enable cards to be quickly pushed to the wallets popular in each market.”

Nick Maynard Research co-author

Loyalty Rewards Critical to Credit Card Popularity

The research predicts that by 2027, the monetary value of rewards for users from credit card use will reach USD 103 billion globally, driving overall adoption. It recommends that card issuers focus on app-based loyalty to maximise the appeal of these rewards; partnering with well-connected digital loyalty programme providers to maximise their

appeal. If issuers fail to do this, they will lose out to better-connected vendors in a highly competitive credit cards market.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hitech communications sector; providing consultancy, analyst reports, and industry commentary.