Malaysia Trade & Export Finance Conference 2017
Global Trade Review (GTR) welcomes you to join us, our sponsors and our partners for the Malaysia Trade & Export Finance Conference 2017, taking place at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur on 14 March.Supported by the likes of Matrade, Exim Bank Malaysia, British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, International Trade Council, BNY Mellon and Bolero amongst many others, join us for a day of discussion, debate and networking with the market's top experts.The conference will highlight five vital themes for discussion:›› Spotlight on Malaysia: Datuk Isham Ishak, Deputy Secretary General at the Ministry of International Trade & Industry will provide an insight into Malaysia's economic foundations and its prospects of further progression. This will be followed by Matrade Deputy CEO Wan Latiff Wan Musa, who will provide a Malaysian perspective on One Belt One Road and its impact on the country’s trade and investment landscape.›› Investment and finance: Raymond Madden, Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Institute of Finance will discuss the importance of meeting the skills gap for Malaysia’s banking and finance industry amidst digital disruption. Subsequent panels will highlight current priorities and new solutions, including credit risk management.›› Digitisation: Showcase the emerging technologies and developments shaping the trade and financing landscape in Malaysia, considering how these can be adapted into the existing banking infrastructure to achieve greater efficiency and financing options for both SMEs and international investors.›› Infrastructure development and intra-regional trade: Assessing the economic and political forces driving infrastructure development in Malaysia and assessing the mechanisms in intra-regional trade and investment options.›› Islamic…
Business Travel Guide: Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia’s largest city, national capital and primary global lure forms the perfect setting for tourists and business executives alike as a consequence of a diversity which can take you down the most naturally eerie of caves one second, and up the most impressive of manmade towers, the next.Situated within and characterised by the surrounding Klang Valley, when one thinks of Malaysia - the country - it’s not disrespectful to assume they mean Kuala Lumpur, and this is forgivable considering the city’s role and responsibility within the nation.Boasting the largest of everything, the most populous of headcounts and the most renowned of businesses across all industries, KL’s leading role has affirmed its position as an alpha world city, and the cultural, financial and economic centre of a country at the heart of Asian-Pacific development.For the visiting business traveller, some of these wider connotations and repercussions can be lost of course, but at eye level, the significance and magnitude of the city is every bit as striking.From the towering Petronas and Menara KL structures to the winding cultural offerings of the city’s Chinatowns and markets - and every world-renowned eatery and bar in-between - Kuala Lumpur really does have it all. And this includes the climate, infrastructure and modernity that are also ready, honed and waiting for the global elite to descend in their droves each year. Facts and figuresCountry: MalaysiaLanguages: Malay, EnglishArea: 243 square kilometresPopulation (2015): 1.768 millionCurrency: RinggitTime zone: UTC+8Dialling code: +60Internet TLD: .myClimate: Tropical rainforestHighest recorded temperature: 38.5 °CTransport LinksAnd descend they do! As part of…
Visa Drives Asian Innovation
In April, 2016, Visa Inc. announced the opening of its Singapore innovation centre; the first in a network of similar facilities that the global finance heavyweight plans to open around the world, and an indictment of the unprecedented success that the Company is currently having in the region.Building on the success of Visa’s flagship innovation centre in San Francisco which was opened in July, 2014, this latest edition to the Group portfolio has been unveiled with a view to enhancing access for both local and global clients to Visa APIs and software development kits through the Company’s Visa Developer Platform.“We are pleased that Visa has chosen Singapore to set up its first innovation centre in Asia-Pacific,” said Dr. Beh Swan Gin, Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board at the time of the announcement. “The centre will focus on the development of leading-edge technology, new applications and business model innovation for clients and key partners in this region.“Visa seeks to collaborate with the broader corporate ecosystem in Singapore, including start-ups. Visa’s decision is a strong affirmation of Singapore’s growing role as an innovation hotbed in this region.”Four months on, Asia Outlook caught up with a Visa spokesperson to further analyse the business’ ongoing prominence in the area and the long-term goals being driven by the Singaporean innovation centre.Asia Outlook (AsO): The new Innovation Centre in Singapore is inevitably a huge step in regards to the Company’s influence within the region, so can you talk me through how the facility came about, the reasoning behind it, the…
Discussing the PPP Projects of the Future
Now in its sixth year, the PPPs in Emerging Markets Summit, hosted on 11-13 July, 2016 at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand will bring together infrastructure and project finance leaders across government agencies, investors, project sponsors, development banks and consultants to discuss various different topics of public-private partnerships (PPP).The Summit will feature ministerial and governmental presentations that will highlight future pipeline projects and government initiatives to support PPPs.Invitation-only distinguished panellists will discuss key issues in developing countries to attract investment in infrastructure, developing best practice and understanding risks and rewards for major essential projects. The Summit will feature international case studies from key sectors including transport, energy, healthcare, water and waste, schools and economic infrastructure such as free trade zones (FTZ), and sea ports and airports.Key speakers include:· Anne De Pazzis, Global Head of PPP/BOT, SUEZ· Anthony Pearce, Senior Advisor on PPPs, Ministry of Transport, Egypt· Bekhbat Sodnom, Chief Executive Officer, Mongolian PPP development centre, Mongolia· Darwin Trisna Djajawinata, Project Development and Advisory Director, PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur· Emmanuel Vivant, Chief Executive Officer, RATP Dev Transdev Asia· Ghislain Lorthiois, General Manager, Head of PPP, Samsung C&T· Jae Hyung Kwon, Head of North Asia & Representative of Korea Office, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)· Kiyoshi Nishimura, Chief Executive Officer, Credit Guarantee & Investment Facility (CGIF)· Mark Giblett, Senior Infrastructure Finance Specialist, World Bank Group· Matthew Toy, Water International Client Director, Water Ground & Environment, Atkins· Michael Barrow, Deputy Director General, Asian Development Bank· Nigel Preston, Director, Structured Finance, Asia Pacific Region, Bombardier Transportation· Senior Representative, Public-Private…
Electronic Payments Create 13,000 Jobs in Singapore
Higher usage of electronic payment products, including credit, debit and pre-paid cards, helped to contribute to a creation of more than 13,000 jobs in Singapore between 2011 and 2015 due to an increase in the country’s consumption. Electronic payments also contributed a total of S$1.7 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP), according to a newly released Moody’s Analytics Study.Global growthThe global study analysed the impact of electronic payments on economic growth across 70 countries, including Singapore, over a five-year period. The Study found that the increased use of electronic payment products, including credit, debit and prepaid cards, added US$296 billion to GDP, while raising household consumption of goods and services by an average of 0.18 percent a year. In addition, Moody’s economists estimate that 2.6 million new jobs were created on average each year as a result of the increased use of electronic payments. The 70 countries make up almost 95 percent of global GDP.Singapore impactThe proliferation of electronic payments, particularly credit card penetration, has been shown to spur greater consumption of goods and services in Singapore. According to the Study, consumption in Singapore was 0.986 percent higher between 2011 and 2015 than it would have been if the use of electronic payments such as payment cards and card-on-file services had not grown. In addition, total consumption increased on average by 0.27 percent over the sample period.With electronic payments increasingly acknowledged as being both secure and convenient, consumers in Singapore have become more comfortable using cards and other electronic payment methods to make purchases, payments…
Visa Launches Business Hub in Asia
Visa has announced the launch of its new one-stop portal, Visa Business Hub in Malaysia and Singapore in a bid to deliver further tangible value to business customers. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS or pay-as-you-use) helps Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) save up to 25 percent on their IT expenses. This reduces upfront costs and implementation time for IT and the pay-on-use offers flexible user packages. The portal also houses a Business Academy that will assist SMBs to stay competitive through expert insights and advice.Visa recognises that innovative SMBs in Asia are increasingly using SaaS applications to deliver great customer service, save costs and be more productive. Businesses choose to deploy these applications in core business processes such as managing their financial records, their employee payroll and customer relationship management. Additionally, they are using new tools to engage with their clients over social media and build a more loyal client base.With the above in mind, Visa has developed a platform that will help banks increase usage of commercial cards by promoting offers and discounts relating to SaaS and Cloud services that could be paid for through a commercial card. The portal offers resources including those related to sales, marketing and customer communication, work collaboration, project management and CRM, human resources, accounting and legal, and website building and hosting.“The SMB segment is a key market for Singapore, given that they contribute to almost 50 half of our country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 70 percent of the workforce. At Visa, we constantly look to create solutions that are innovative and…
Groundbreaking ICD Forum to Explore China-OIC Joint Investment Opportunities
China’s meteoric economic rise and the burgeoning ascendancy of OIC nations in the international landscape are altering global economic power dynamics, and players from both markets are eager to tap the lucrative opportunities arising from stronger bilateral ties.With a more inclusive foreign policy, including a renewed stance on the Middle East and Africa, Chinese president Xi Jinping has set in motion greater China-OIC relations, with the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative a central pillar to China’s grand strategy. Yet, questions remain. So, what are the considerations for market players from both sides of the divide in capitalising on this flow of opportunities and how can these linkages be created?In light of this development, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), is hosting for the first time ever, a groundbreaking event to connect investors and regulators from Asia, Africa and the Gulf with senior decision-makers of the world’s second-largest economy.To be held at the Westin Beijing Financial Street Hotel in Beijing on the 22nd March, 2016, and with senior-level participation from state-owned funds such as the Silk Road Fund and the China Africa Development Fund, the pioneering China OIC Forum is expected to gather more than 300 senior regulators, multilateral institutions and market players with the aim of enhancing partnerships between key industry players and multilateral bodies as well as identify joint investment opportunities.The Forum provides an opportunity to meet decision-makers from China’s largest funds, banks and state-owned enterprises and is the ideal…
Responding to Headwinds & Refreshing the Vision for Islamic Finance
The Islamic Banking & Investment Asia/Middle East Congress 2016 will bring together the leading players from the Middle East and Asia to explore, engage and showcase both the sectoral and geographic opportunities that are emerging from a wave of increasingly strong attention from mainland China, to new initiatives in Indonesia, as well as high-potential sectors such as marine, energy and the SME marketCombining a highly innovative and interactive conference format with world-class speakers and more than 250 international delegates who bring their own knowledge of Islamic finance from key markets across the world, the Islamic Banking & Investment Asia/Middle East Congress 2016 features a fresh new approach on how industry leaders can engage with the key issues impacting the future of Islamic finance. The Congress will take place on 5-6 April, 2016 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Singapore, under the theme “Responding to Headwinds & Refreshing the Vision for Islamic Finance”, and will be held under the auspices of H.H. Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Special Envoy – Kingdom of Bahrain and Patron of the Islamic Banking & Investment Asia/Middle East Congress 2016.Experts have projected that an estimated US$ 60 billion a year will be required until 2022 to meet the basic infrastructure needs across ASEAN member states alone. The scale of this funding while posing an enormous challenge also presents an exciting opportunity, specifically for Islamic finance. The recent establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) provides new impetus to tapping into the growing pool of Islamic investors across the Middle East and…
Striking Synergies Between Malaysia’s Islamic Finance Market and Responsible Finance Sector
Islamic finance has an important role to play as it becomes of increasing interest to global responsible finance.Exploring the shared principals in emerging markets, the RFI Foundation has organised the Responsible Finance Summit; co-organised by Middle East Global Advisors and Bank Negara Malaysia. Taking place on 30-31 March, 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Summit aims to forge meaningful alliances between Islamic finance (IF) and the responsible finance ecosystems, while harnessing the emerging market growth of Islamic finance and the synergies that exist between Islamic finance and global responsible finance.Both ecosystems share many common challenges and similar traits. A $2 trillion industry, Islamic finance has a strong footprint in emerging markets and appears to have reached a turning point in its global recognition, presenting an ideal opportunity to boost its appeal beyond its usual consumers. In parallel, practitioners in responsible finance are trying to shed the industry’s reputation as a “niche” one and face a credibility issue with conventional finance in developed markets.Even as Islamic finance has been able to demonstrate an ability to profitably implement a values-based approach, it aspires to develop a more positive and impact-driven approach, given its existing harmonised exclusionary screening approach. This should enable the industry to create a robust value proposition that incorporates universal values-based impact, good governance and environmental sustainability.Moving towards these common principles can benefit from approaches used in developed markets by responsible investment institutions. RFI Foundation Chairperson of its Board of Trustees, Professor Datuk Rifaat Abdel Karim, noted: “By promoting the shared principles that underlie the motivations…
