Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 16, 2021 - August 22, 2021

NEWS

Digital solution for SME lenders

Mambu, a software-as-a-service cloud banking platform, has launched a digital solution for small and medium enterprise (SME) lenders that cuts costs and speeds up time to market.

The platform not only provides banks and financial technology (fintech) players with a robust and scalable loan management technology, but also easy access to an ecosystem of partners such as web-based identity authentication, credit checks and loan origination. These partners are vital to lenders wanting to offer quick loan approvals.

According to the International Finance Corporation, it is estimated that there is an unmet financing need of US$5.2 trillion every year across 65 million firms, or 40% of formal micro, small and medium enterprises globally, with Asia-Pacific accounting for the largest share (46%).

Mambu’s SME lending solution is designed for fast product launches and offers flexibility in terms of quickly adapting to changes. The solution offers a variety of options to adjust loan conditions in order to support borrowers that are facing financial difficulties. This flexibility allows clients to better serve SMEs, particularly during the pandemic.

Xero replaces marketplace with app store

Xero, a cloud-based accounting software platform for SMEs, has launched a new Xero App Store — replacing the company’s existing app marketplace. 

The new app store is designed to make it easier for Xero’s customers — such as small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers — to discover and purchase apps to help run their business, while helping Xero’s app partners grow on the platform. 

Currently, Xero’s app partners in Australia, New Zealand and the UK will have access to a suite of new subscription and billing capabilities (Xero App Store Subscriptions), which will allow Xero customers to pay for and manage their apps in one place. This will be available in the US and Canada in the next 12 months, followed by Asia and South Africa.

Among others, the Xero App Store comes with improved search capabilities and personalised recommendations powered by machine learning, which makes it easier for businesses to find the right apps for their needs, based on their industry and unique profile. The recommendations engine also provides app partners with more qualified leads.

Australian consumer brands now directly available to Malaysians

Malaysians can now buy Australian products online and have them delivered to their doorstep.

Ten premium skincare, nutraceuticals (including supplements), milk and food brands from Victoria will be promoted and sold directly on Lazada and Shopee, thanks to a collaboration between Global Victoria, the state government of Victoria’s trade facilitation agency, and regional e-commerce agency Momentum Commerce. Until recently, Australian products in Malaysia have been primarily available at retail outlets in major cities.

The brands include Mo Milk, Sukin, QV, Milk Lab’s dairy and non-dairy products, Swisse supplements, Bubs babycare, Red Tractor superfoods, Ausbarrel Sticky Balsamic Vinegar and ViPlus nutritional milk products.

The launch of the official e-commerce stores guarantees the sale of authentic Australian products and enables shoppers to engage directly with the brand owners. Promotions and discounts are currently ongoing on both marketplaces.

Informatica to help Celcom tackle data governance

Celcom Axiata Bhd has selected Informatica — an enterprise cloud data management company — to enhance the former’s data governance programme. 

Informatica’s enterprise data governance solution enables Celcom to automate the governance of millions of subscribers and service data that the organisation has to deal with on a daily basis. This allows Celcom to provide more accurate and trusted data across the business, and IT users to foster greater collaboration and perform analytics and business-critical decision-making.

Celcom will also meet the compliance requirements set by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, with regulatory reporting expected to be significantly reduced from 150 man hours to about five with the use of the automation and governance tool.

New Apple update to scour iCloud for images of child sexual abuse, triggering privacy fears

Apple announced that iPhones and iPads will soon start detecting images containing child sexual abuse — using a tool called NeuralHash — and reporting them as they are uploaded to the iCloud, even if the images are never sent to another user or shared.

This announcement, however, has revived the debate on encryption and privacy, raising fears that the technology could be used for government surveillance. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart, for example, says the updates have the potential to undermine user privacy, and adds that WhatsApp will not use such a system.

The software update to Apple’s operating system will monitor pictures, allowing the device maker to report findings to the US’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The new technology will allow the device’s operating system to match the photos on a user’s device against a database of child sexual abuse material provided by child safety organisations, and then flag the images as they are uploaded to the iCloud.

Additionally, Apple’s iPhone messaging app will use machine learning to recognise and warn children and their parents when receiving or sending sexually explicit photos. Personal assistant Siri will also be taught to “intervene” when users try to search topics related to child sex abuse, according to the company, AFP reported.

Cathcart suggests that Apple would do better by giving its users the option to report abusive content instead, which is one of the methods used by WhatsApp and has resulted in more than 40,000 cases to the NCMEC without having to breach encryption.

MyCC monitoring food delivery platforms

The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) is monitoring food delivery platforms to assess whether their conduct contravenes the Competition Act 2010, following recent complaints of exorbitant commissions and food and beverage (F&B) prices on these platforms.

In a July 26 statement, MyCC said it had been actively engaging with the relevant stakeholders to obtain further information on the matter. MyCC CEO Iskandar Ismail said the regulator is looking into every angle from the perspective of the Competition Act 2010, particularly the conduct of the food delivery platforms towards F&B industry players, riders and consumers, and whether it raises any competition concern.

Sections 4 and 10 of the Competition Act 2010 prohibits enterprises from entering into any anti-competitive agreement and abusing their dominant position in the market respectively. Action can be taken against a group of major players that abuse their dominant positions collectively.

The campaign on TikTok that led to a RM5 mil countersuit

Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, known for her #MakeSchoolASaferPlace campaign, is currently caught in a legal battle. What started as several TikTok videos recounting her experience in class, her campaign has sparked discourse nationwide on rape culture in schools.

The 17-year-old was recently slapped with a RM1 million defamation lawsuit and a police report lodged against her by the physical education teacher who allegedly made rape jokes. The teenager’s lawyer, Datuk Sankara Nair, says the family will countersue the teacher — who was transferred out of the school — for RM5 million for emotional distress.

A fresh police report will also be made, says Sankara, adding that the teacher had insulted Ain’s modesty. The earlier police report that she had filed against the teacher for his remarks was classified as NFA, or no further action.

Ain’s viral TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 1.9 million times, showed her expressing shock at her teacher for jokingly telling students to target people aged above 18 if they wanted to rape someone.

Ain currently does not have any official petitions and urges her followers to not donate money to any unofficial petitions.

 

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Many athletes have been using TikTok to share their experience at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. These short clips offer a candid, behind-the-scenes view of the historic Games, the first held without spectators. Keep in mind that these clips are not footage of the competition, which belongs to broadcasters. Instead, TikTok users are able to get a first-hand view of the Olympic Village rooms, infamous cardboard beds and dining areas as well as watch the athletes celebrate their wins.

 

DIGITIONARY

Play-to-earn

An emerging trend in gaming, play-to-earn (P2E) enables players to earn real money by collecting rewards in a game. P2E has been gaining traction, especially in the Philippines, where many are looking for an alternative source of income following prolonged lockdowns and economic activity closures.

One of the popular P2E platforms is Pokemon-inspired online game Axie Infinity, which allows gamers to earn cryptocurrencies Axie-Infinity (AXS) and Smooth Love Potion (SLP) by rearing virtual pets (Axies).

 

COMPETITION

Digi Business offers small businesses digital solutions worth RM150,000

Digi Business is offering over RM150,000 worth of digital solutions and mobile plans to help local micro and small business owners go digital.

“With various movement restrictions in place, small and micro entrepreneurs need to leverage digital tools and means to sustain their business. We are committed to being their trusted digital partner and helping them recover and thrive,” says Digi chief business officer Eugene Teh.

Through the #KamiCareMbiz programme, selected business owners will receive an extensive suite of digital solutions and mobile plans from Digi Business. 

The Go Digital bundles comprise all-in-one solutions essential for digitalisation, including digital marketing, connectivity solutions and productivity tools. This includes access to digital tools such as AVANA (social commerce platform), altHR (digital workforce management system) and Omni (virtual phone system), as well as a claim of up to RM5,000 from the government’s Penjana SME Digitalisation grant.

To participate, business owners need to submit an entry on how Digi Business digital solutions can help their business via Astro Radio’s multi-language channels, namely ERA, MY, HITZ, MIX, Sinar, Lite, RAAGA, Gegar, Melody, Zayan, GoXuan and Syok. Digi Business has partnered with Astro Radio’s #KamiCareMbiz programme to help boost businesses by highlighting their products and services on air. 

For more information, visit the respective radio channel’s home page, which can also be assessed via astroradio.com.my.

RM101,000 grand prize up for grabs at Asia School of Business’ inaugural entrepreneurship competition

The AirAsia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Asia School of Business (IEC@ASB) has launched the first ASB101K Entrepreneurship Competition, hoping to build a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

Registration is now open to teams of tertiary students and early-stage start-ups in the region. Apart from coaching and boot camps delivered by mentors from ASB, regional start-ups and the venture capital ecosystem, teams will get the chance to win total prize money of RM262,000 and additional benefits from competition partners such as Microsoft.

Through the competition, ASB101K seeks to jump-start ventures offering innovative technology-driven scalable solutions in the areas of agriculture, education, environment, finance, healthcare and information and communications technology, among other sectors.

The competition will reward the most scalable, sustainable and innovative business solution that addresses a genuine business problem concerning its target market. The respective track winners will be awarded RM101,000 each. There are additional perks for teams that make it to the semi-finals.

The competition involves three rounds. In Round 1 (executive summary), a total of 100 teams will be shortlisted. At the end of Round 2 (business model), 24 finalists will advance to Round 3 (presentations). The latter two rounds will kick off with boot camps to help participating teams solidify their business models and improve their pitching skills.

Due to the pandemic, the initial rounds will be held virtually. ASB hopes that the final leg of the competition will be held in person so that participants can take advantage of its state-of-the-art campus in Kuala Lumpur.

Through Microsoft’s partnership with ASB101K, semi-finalists will receive certification vouchers that are valid for up to six months after the competition. These vouchers from Microsoft, worth up to US$180, will give the semi-finalists the opportunity to participate in certification programmes in the areas of artificial intelligence and data analytics.

Registration for ASB101K and submission for the first round are due on Dec 1. For more information, visit asb101k.com.

WWF turns Malaysian football fans into tiger supporters

WWF-Malaysia is turning Malaysians’ love of football into a love for the endangered Harimau Malaya, in conjunction with Global Tiger Day on July 29.

The nationwide “Score For Tigers” challenge, organised by WWF-Malaysia in partnership with Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), underscores the urgency for immediate action to address the dwindling number of Malayan tigers in the wild.

Score For Tigers is a social media challenge where participants symbolically play in defence for the Malayan tiger by attempting to juggle as many footballs as possible on TikTok. The top 11 submissions with the most likes will win an official Score For Tigers jersey.

Local artists and personalities participating in support of the challenge include Asyraf Nasir, Armani Kowachee, Theeban G, Rod Monteiro, Calista Leah Liew, Jeremy Teo, Syiera Eyya and Christine Das. The national football team, Harimau Malaya, is also lending its support to the challenge.

The Score For Tigers challenge ends on Aug 30. For details, visit wwf.org.my/scorefortigers.

 

GRANTS

Heriot-Watt University offers built industry bursaries for September intake

Heriot-Watt University Malaysia has set up two built industry bursaries from the Datuk Seri Dr Michael Yam — CIOB Bursary for its intake in September. Heriot-Watt is a renowned technology and business university. It has campuses in Scotland, Malaysia and Dubai.

Two types of student bursaries are available. Bursary 1, valued at a total of RM40,000, will support up to four students in the first year of their undergraduate degree in construction project management and quantity surveying as well as those pursuing a Master of Science degree in construction project management.

Bursary 2, valued at RM20,000, will support two students who are doing their undergraduate degree in construction project management and quantity surveying, whose financial standing may have been impacted by the pandemic.

 

UPSKILL

Redbeat Academy offers courses on free digital marketing, data analytics

Free one-hour courses on topics such as digital marketing, data analytics, cybersecurity and UX design are available on Redbeat Academy’s platform until Sept 2. The topics include digital marketing metrics, “Mind of a Hacker”, which allows participants to learn how cyberattackers function, and “How to get unstuck at anything in less than an hour”, where participants learn how to get actionable results by eliminating roadblocks.

Redbeat Academy is a tech innovation academy launched by AirAsia Digital and Google Cloud.

 

EDITOR’S MUST-HAVES

Can’t be too careful — PhoneSoap

Covid-19 has ensured that we do not take hygiene and sanitisation lightly anymore. While we frequently wash our hands, maintain physical distance and use appropriate personal protective equipment such as masks to protect ourselves from the highly contagious virus, what about the germs on our phones?

According to PhoneSoap, mobile phones carry 18 times more bacteria than what’s found in a public restroom. The company has been in the UV sanitiser business for years and offers extensive lab-testing results on its products. 

Although PhoneSoap was created with smartphones and tablets in mind, it can be used to sanitise just about anything, including jewellery, cash, earbuds and even credit cards. 

All of the PhoneSoap variants use UV-C bulbs, which emit radiation that kills germs but does not harm you or your device. UV-C refers to one of three types of UV radiation. It has the smallest wavelengths at 180nm to 280nm and is the one required for UV disinfection.

PhoneSoap disinfects items in just five minutes and has both manual and automatic settings. PhoneSoap 3, which has a length of 8.5in and width of 5in, is the company’s best-selling model. PhoneSoap Wireless is built with a Qi charger, which enables wireless charging.

HomeSoap is PhoneSoap’s solution for larger items as it is big enough to hold an iPad Pro and can easily fit smaller things such as remote controls, game controllers, baby bottles and pacifiers. Prices start at US$79.95. Visit www.phonesoap.com/collections/all.

 

PEOPLE MOVES 

Vishnu Nambiar joins Carsome as CTO

Carsome Group appointed Vishnu Nambiar as its chief technology officer (CTO) on Aug 3. Vishnu will be driving the company through its next stage of transformation after it achieved unicorn status in July.

Vishnu takes over from Chet Sin, who was appointed Carsome’s chief architect to lead the design, implementation and governance of the company’s technology architecture. Vishnu is the former CTO of AirAsia, where he digitised the passenger experience and improved efficiency.

At Carsome, his role is to digitise the entire car ownership journey, while creating an integrated and engaging ecosystem.

Grab’s founding chief marketing officer joins Malaysia Airlines’ board

Cheryl Goh Ching Ling has joined Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd as a non-executive director of the airline group as well as its wholly-owned subsidiary Malaysia Airlines Bhd.

Goh was group vice-president of marketing and sustainability and the founding chief marketing officer of ride-hailing giant Grab Holdings Inc. In her role at Grab, she shaped the strategy behind the company’s user growth, country expansion and service diversification. She also oversaw the company’s marketing efforts across Southeast Asia. 

Goh has spent a decade in leadership roles in the digital space, mostly in technology companies such as MOL Global and Friendster. She also headed The New Straits Times Group’s digital arm and served as group digital general manager at Nissan Malaysia.

TM comms chief Izlyn Ramli has new role at telco’s charitable trust

Telekom Malaysia’s (TM) vice-president (VP) of group strategic communication Izlyn Ramli has taken on the role of director at Yayasan TM. The charitable trust is dedicated to helping less fortunate Malaysian students by providing them with equal access to education and development programmes. It offers grants, bursaries, maintenance allowances and other forms of financial assistance.

Izlyn took on the role of VP in March when TM reorganised the group’s branding and communication department to form two new teams. She handles the telco’s corporate communications, reputation and stakeholder management as well as corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Cisco’s new Malaysia MD to lead growth and accelerate digital transformation

Global technology leader Cisco has appointed Hana Raja as managing director of its Malaysian business. She brings with her 12 years of experience in strategic planning, business management and leadership roles across various sectors.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, she joined Cisco in 2019 from Bain & Co, where she facilitated strategic transformation for companies in the oil and gas, industrial goods, retail and automotive sectors across Southeast Asia. Prior to Bain, she spent almost five years as a senior consultant at Schlumberger. 

 

“You inspired us with this unifying power of sport. This was even more remarkable given the many challenges you had to face because of the pandemic. In these difficult times, you give the world the most precious of gifts: hope.

For the first time since the pandemic began, the entire world came together. Sport returned to centre stage. Billions of people around the globe were united by emotion, sharing moments of joy and inspiration. This gives us hope. This gives us faith in the future.”

— International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games

The 2020 Games came to a close on Aug 8. Taking place amid a raging pandemic, the Games were not welcomed by many Japanese and saddled the country with huge expenses as no spectators were allowed. Nevertheless, for 17 days, global audiences — including Malaysians rooting for our athletes — were glued to their screens. 

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games is slated to start on Aug 24.

 

Tech books

The New Breed: How to Think About Robots by Kate Darling

The robots are here. They make our cars, they deliver fast food, they mine the sea floor. And in the near future, they will increasingly make their presence felt in our homes and workplaces, making human-robot interaction an everyday occurrence. What will this future look like? What will define the relationship between humans and robots?

Here Kate Darling, a world-renowned expert in robot ethics, shows us that in order to understand the new robot world, we must first move beyond the idea that this technology will be something like us. Instead, she argues, we should look at our relationship with animals. Just as we have harnessed the power of animals to aid us in war and work, so too will robots supplement — rather than replace — our skills and abilities.

A deeply original analysis of our technological future and the ethical dilemmas that await us, The New Breed explains how the treatment of machines can reveal a new understanding of our history and systems and how we relate to not just non-humans, but also to each other. Available on Amazon.

 

SOS

Crowdfunding for oxygen concentrators

Kelab Kiwanis Taman Desa Kuala Lumpur, a local branch of international service club Kiwanis International, is crowdfunding to purchase live-saving oxygen concentrators for Covid-19 patients admitted to Hospital Ampang and Hospital Selayang. Both are designated full Covid-19 hospitals by the Selangor Health Department. 

For more information on how to donate, visit Kiwanis Club of Taman Desa’s Facebook page. 

Find homes for strays

Since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was reimposed, more pets have been abandoned due to the financial struggles faced by their owners as a result of retrenchments and pay cuts. There has been a 50% increase in the number of abandoned pets since the pandemic began in March last year. 

My Forever Doggo, a non-profit organisation, connects pet and stray shelters to people interested in adoption. Aspiring pet owners can view the profiles of dogs looking for homes on its website and social media platforms, and contact the organisation for adoption. For more information, visit www.myforeverdoggo.com.

Buy preloved clothes for charity

Initiated by a group of four friends, the Care Club is raising funds for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that advocate for the #benderaputih (white flag) movement. Care Club donates all of its sales to NGOs such as The Lost Food Project, Seed Foundation, Refuge for the Refugees and Kits of Kindness. To support the initiative, look up @careclub.my on Instagram.

Grocery kits for households in need

Founded on July 1, youth-run organisation Kits of Kindness provides free grocery packs to less fortunate families. Each kit includes tea, soap, canned baked beans, barley, cornflour, spaghetti, sauce, instant noodles and regular noodles, according to a recent post on its Instagram page. 

Donations can be made through Sedunia Campaign or ShopeePay. For more information, visit www.kitsofkindness.my.

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