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UnionBank UPAY for MSME: Helping level the playing field for Filipino MSMEs

Filipinos are now utilizing digital payments more than ever. Last month, the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported that digital payments made up 20.1 percent of all transactions in 2020, more than double the figure from two years ago of 10 percent. This strong momentum is creating opportunities particularly for enterprising Filipinos who engage in e-commerce. To help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country capitalize on this growing trend, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), the region’s digital trailblazer and the country’s foremost bank for MSMEs, has launched a groundbreaking feature that will make e-payments easier and secure not only for customers but also for MSMEs—the new UPAY for MSME. This was unveiled at the Bank's 12th E-TalkTales media event, wherein UnionBank Vice President and MSME Segment Head Jaypee Soliman, and UnionBank Merchant Acquiring and Payment Gateway Head Gerry Austria led discussions on the critical role of digitizing payments in th

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Huawei Philippines launches Seeds for the Future 2021 for ICT talents

Huawei Philippines has launched the 7th Seeds for the Future with over 100 students in the country joining the program this year. Top officials from the government and the academe, along with students from 20 universities across the country, joined the opening ceremony. Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. gave a speech during the event saying: “As the world becomes more digital, Huawei has seen it fit not only to be business for profit but also to make the building of a better future its business. In 2008, it took this commitment to another level by launching its flagship CSR Program – Huawei Seeds for the Future. Now this Digital Spark has spread exponentially to make a difference in the lives of almost 9,000 beneficiaries worldwide.” “Seeds for the Future aptly named as such has been spreading and cultivating ICT expertise across the global expanse. Its beneficiaries are able to acquire ICT Knowledge first hand while collectively building their network of ICT

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Huawei kicks off Tech Day 2021 to power digital Philippines

Huawei Philippines held Thursday Tech Day 2021, a program that aims to discover how pioneering enterprises are applying innovative ICT technologies to create digital infrastructures for the entry of the intelligent era. Whilst the pandemic has pushed the pause button, performance varies from company to company, industry to industry, and country to country. One of the keys to thrive is by going digital. According to McKinsey, COVID-19 has caused digital transformation to jump ahead by 7 years globally and by a full 10 years in Asia Pacific. In the face of an increasingly complex business environment, resilience has become an important development strategy for companies, and digital technology, is the key to building this resilience. Todd Liu, Director of Enterprise Business Department from Huawei Philippines, said during his speech, “ As digital transformation enters a new phase, we will tackle three big changes. First, digital transformation will become central to office work. Second

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Pru Life UK announces new president and CEO

Leading life insurer Pru Life UK has announced its new President and Chief Executive Officer Eng Teng Wong, effective Nov. 1, 2021.  Putting customers at the heart of everything with its We DO commitment, Eng Teng will lead the continued transformation of the Pru Life UK business to help customers get the most out of life. Previously the Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Officer Ecosystem Implementation of Prudential Services Asia, Eng Teng led the launch of the AI-powered app Pulse by Prudential in many countries across Asia and Africa to empower millions of consumers particularly customers of Prudential to become healthier and wealthier. “Since two years ago, I have been working very closely with Pru Life UK to implement and launch Pulse in the Philippines with a clear vision to empower Filipinos with useful health and wellness information as well as customer-centric solutions to help them become healthier and wealthier. I am blessed with so many talented, committed, and passionate

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Edamama leverages AWS to scale up amid pandemic, competitive ecommerce landscape

Key people behind Edamama, an ecommerce site dedicated to mothers, have recently talked about how leveraging Amazon Web Services technologies has helped them address the pain points moms in the Philippines are experiencing when shopping online. During an exclusive press conference via Zoom, Monica Otayza, Edamama’s public relations and marketing head, and Seaver Choy, the company’s senior tech manager, spoke about how their emerging ecommerce platform rose amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with the help of AWS. While the pandemic has affected many businesses in the country in a negative way, it has helped Edamama accelerate its growth as an ecommerce platform. People have more time with their phone instead of going outside to buy what they need.  Established in May 2020 by the husband-wife duo Nishant and Bela Gupta D’Souza, Edamama is now the number one vertical platform for mothers and children in the country, said Otayza. “Curating products, content and services for households,

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ASEAN Foundation, Huawei join forces to bridge digital talent gap in APAC

The ASEAN Foundation and Huawei have signed a memorandum of understanding on joint efforts to bridge the digital talent gap at the Asia Pacific Innovation Day – Digital Talent Summit 2021. The online summit brought together policy makers, researchers and industry experts to share solutions and best practices in building a sustainable ecosystem that will help foster digital talents in the Asia Pacific. The event started strongly with a series of keynote speeches from governments’ leaders such as Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political Security Community H.E. Robert Matheus Michael Tene, Chair of the ASEAN Digital Senior Official Meeting H.E. Dato’ Sri Mohammad Mentek, the Philippine Ambassador to China H.E. Jose Santiago L. Sta. Romana. Their speeches stressed on the importance of key stakeholders’ proactive participation in developing a solid foundation for digital talent ecosystem in the region. "The Digital Talent Summit 2021, which aims to discuss and address the nee

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Stratpoint excites software, IT professionals at Softcon 2021

Stratpoint Technologies, one of the country’s leading software development and digital transformation services providers, announced its participation at Softcon 2021, an annual gathering of software and IT professionals in the Philippines. Every year, technology advocates, IT professionals, software engineers, and business leaders come together in this celebration of Filipino talent, innovation, and business breakthroughs in technology, organized by the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA).  This time, Stratpoint will take the stage in Softcon 2021, with two Stratpoint engineers joining the prestigious speaker lineup. Together with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Stratpoint will also be hosting a virtual booth during the event from October 25 to 29. On Oct. 25, Stratpoint Technical Manager for Flutter Zonily Jame Pesquera presented “Gitlab CI and Flutter.” Pesquera talked about how delivering test versions of mobile applications to stakeholders, testers, and developers via the

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From malls to mobile: How Home Credit redefined the BNPL experience

There is no doubt that the global pandemic has accelerated digital transformation, changing our day-to-day lives. Due to current events, the digital shift that was supposed to take years happened in a blink of an eye – putting the spotlight on businesses and how they make an effort to innovate their products and services. For Home Credit, it did not come as a surprise since their digital efforts started years ago knowing that digitalization, especially in the financial industry, is the next big thing. Their journey started from their launching in 2013, where they already proved to be a gamechanger in the financial landscape. Coming from a predominantly unbanked market like ours, Home Credit came into the picture and started catering to Filipinos with little to no credit history and providing affordable installments for their gadget and electronic needs. This is what we now call as “buy now, pay later” and despite the term finding its fame during the pandemic, it’s actually a relative

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Amazon Global Selling held inaugural 2021 Amazon Expo-Seller Boot Camp

Amazon Global Selling held its inaugural 2021 Amazon Expo - Seller Boot Camp to further introduce MSMEs to cross-border e-commerce and how Amazon's global infrastructure and resources can empower them to develop a global business. The Boot Camp was jointly participated by a wide range of service providers who can support MSMEs on their different stages of going global. Amazon Global Selling also shared insights on the e-commerce landscape and prospects in the Philippines. According to the survey released by Amazon Global Selling, the Philippines has the highest percentage of domestic e-commerce sellers (70.02%) compared to other ASEAN countries—underlying untapped opportunities for Filipino MSMEs to explore cross-border opportunities. “Philippine e-commerce is still a relatively new but rapidly developing sector,” said Bernard Tay, Head of Amazon Global Selling, Southeast Asia. “The surge of demand for online shopping under the lockdown begets the digital model of doing business as pa

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Fujitsu showcases global vision for sustainable future at Fujitsu ActivateNow 2021

Fujitsu hosted Tuesday its second consecutive annual flagship global event, Fujitsu ActivateNow 2021, gathering attendees around the world in a dynamic digital experience with messages from Fujitsu’s leadership as well as panel discussions and guest presentations from global visionaries in digital government, diversity, inclusion and other key areas. This year’s program brought participants to a journey through Fujitsu’s latest services and advanced technologies designed to drive digital transformation for customers worldwide while demonstrating how Fujitsu leverages its world-leading innovations for well-being and social good. The event also highlighted Fujitsu’s contributions to fulfill the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals as well as its efforts to resolve the many challenges facing humanity, including the existential threat posed by climate change as we emerge from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SDGs adopted by U.N. in 2015 represent a set of common goals t

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