Category: Business

SINGAPORE
- Media OutReach - 30
July 2020 - Despite buoyant stock markets around the world, the COVID-19 crisis
has spelled doom for many mid-cap firms that are unable to raise cash. Into
this void steps Lam Ching Ching, CEO of Charismatic Capital, an investment firm
focused on listed companies valued at under $1 billion. Charismatic has been
able to secure impressive ROI injecting funds into cash-strapped firms across
Asia.

Lam is Founder and Chief Investment Officer of
Charismatic Capital, the investment manager to Charismatic Debt Equity Fund, a direct
lender to shareholders
of listed companies secured against their listed
shares. The banking veteran boasts over two decades of a banking career with Citibank,
Credit Industrial et Commercial, EFG and UBS. She climbed the corporate ladder
to advise high net-worth clients on investments and credit, managing over USD1bn
worth of assets.

Quality stocks selection

Lam started Charismatic Capital in 2015 when she
noticed that listed companies with market capitalization below USD1b were
underserved by banks. Banks had lost their lending appetite after the 2008
global financial crisis and to date, mainly focused on large and established
corporations.

Concurrently, the ultra-low interest rate environment
post-2008 made it difficult for investors to find attractive high yield-generating
assets. With the Covid-19 pandemic, banks have become even more selective of
borrowers.

Charismatic Capital thus provides stock loans to
shareholders who pledge their shares as collateral. In return, its investors
are compensated with attractive double-digit yields. Empowered by financial technology,
it created a user-friendly online portal to streamline and accelerate the
processing, allowing loan cases to be swiftly assessed and closely tracked.
Investors can also access to its investments and their performance via the
portal.

Tapping on her networks and expertise, Lam established
a diversified portfolio of stock loans with over collateralization of stocks. She
credits her years in banking for giving her a sharp eye in selecting quality stocks
and doing in-depth credit assessment, resulting in two stellar years with a double-digit
net return as expected, and zero rate of default by borrowers.

The future of Asian finance

In countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore, Lam
foresees higher growth ahead over the next decade. Lam credits this positive
outlook on the countries' high domestic savings rates, good infrastructure, and
stable political situations.

"Even with Hong Kong's unstable political outlook, many
US-listed companies with Chinese ownership have returned to dual list in Hong
Kong, suggesting Hong Kong will continue to remain a leading financial hub,"
She notes. This increase in variety of stocks to lend against bodes well for
Charismatic Capital, as Hong Kong is their biggest market at 50%.

To aspiring women in the banking industry, the mother
of four graduate children and the avid ballet dancer says, "The sky is the
limit. Go all out to establish a successful banking career without compromising
on building a family concurrently," emphasizing the importance of being
financially independent.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 29 July 2020 - AIA, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian
life insurance group, today announced plans to host its first ever regional
online health and wellness event, spanning 13 markets and headlined by AIA's
Global Ambassador David Beckham.

AIA Live will be broadcast on Sunday 2^nd
August and will include more than 30 unique sessions, delivering health and
wellness content to inspire, motivate and educate people across the region as
part of AIA's commitment to helping them live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.
Key themes will include mental wellbeing, exercise, activity and rest,
nutrition, personal growth, as well as light-hearted moments of music and
comedy.

AIA Live has been designed to appeal
across all age groups and multiple markets, celebrating the cultural diversity
of the region while at the same time bringing people closer together to deepen
their knowledge of health and wellness in a fun and engaging way.

David Beckham will open and close the event,
and also share personal stories on how he and his family have dealt with the
extraordinary events of 2020, together with some of the lessons he has
learnt.  Celebrity chef Jeremy Pang will
cook a series of recipes with different ingredients from across Asia, and
coaches from AIA's partner Tottenham Hotspur Football Club ("Spurs") will
challenge participants to try some easy and fun football skills. They will be
supported by more than 20 other regional influencers and keynote guests,
bringing together AIA's family of ambassadors for the first time ever.

AIA Live will be hosted on AIA's
Healthy Living YouTube channel and AIA Vitality members will be able to earn
AIA Vitality Points for taking part. By registering for the event, participants
will also earn the chance to win significant prizes including trips to London
to watch Spurs play and meet their first team players, as well as signed
footballs from David Beckham, virtual cooking lessons with Jeremy Pang, and
merchandise from our other ambassadors. AIA also plans to host similar days in
China and India in early September, with tailored content for those markets.

Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing
Officer, said: "In this COVID world we live in, we see mindsets and
behaviours changing and we are committed to keeping connected with our
customers and supporting them with knowledge and practical tips for health and
wellness. We know our audiences are online now more than ever before and are
looking for new ways to stay motivated, active and live a healthy lifestyle -
often within the confines of their own home. We are therefore very excited to
be presenting AIA Live, a first of its kind event, which will be a day of powerful and inspiring content and a meaningful way
for us to deliver on our commitment to helping people live Healthier, Longer,
Better Lives."

AIA's Global Ambassador David Beckham said: "I'm very proud to be
involved in AIA Live alongside my fellow AIA ambassadors, sharing our
thoughts and experiences with people across Asia about how we can live
healthier, longer, better lives. We've all faced unexpected challenges this
year and looking after ourselves, mentally and physically, has never been more
important.

"I've been lucky enough to see first-hand the
transformational work that AIA are doing in markets all over the region to help
their customers and communities. I hope people will feel inspired to make the
little changes in their lives that can make a big difference and that this
unique event will really motivate them."

Please register for AIA Live by 30
July 2020 to learn more about the full programme here: https://www.aia.com.sg/en/aialive.html

BACKGROUND FOR GROUP RELEASE

AIA appointed David Beckham as our Global
Ambassador in 2017. As an internationally famous sporting icon and a dedicated
family man, David is playing a leading role in helping AIA to promote
achievable steps people can take to improve their health and wellness. David
makes frequent visits to AIA markets to help drive the Healthier, Longer,
Better Lives movement, where he engages with large numbers of AIA customers,
agents, partners and employees.

AIA has partnered with Spurs since 2013 and
is the Club's Global Principal Partner. The partnership and the international
coaches based in Asia have been used to promote the vital role that active
participation in sport plays in helping people to live Healthier, Longer,
Better Lives.

AIA teamed up with Jeremy Pang, celebrity
chef and founder of the award-winning School of Wok, in 2019 to bring our
customers an array of delicious recipes that are perfect for preparing at home.
Focusing on healthy, flavour-packed dishes, Jeremy combines his easy-to-follow
style with tips, ingredient swaps and wok-loads of recipe inspiration. Jeremy
has featured at a number of AIA events including hosting a Dim Sum Masterclass
in Singapore as part of our Centennial celebrations. Jeremy's easy-to-follow
recipes showcase how simple swaps and healthy combinations can help you live
Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.

WHO'S JOINING FROM SINGAPORE?

Over 20 influencers from all over the globe--including
Singapore--will be joining this exciting online health and wellness event. Viewers
can tune in to watch actor and host Andie Chen keep up with Jeremy Pang's
instructions in a cook-along session titled "Good Food for Good Health", whilst
both guests also open up about their experiences in lockdown and the kitchen. Join
actress and host Amanda Chaang as she learns some football drills from the
Spurs coaches and challenges them to perform some cheerleading moves in a "Cheers
and Drills" session, and get up close and personal with actor and musician
Andrew Marko in "Marko My Words: Nothing Can Get Me Down!". In this raw and
unfiltered session he shares about how he fights stress and manages to find the
brighter things in life. Whether you are looking at building healthier diets,
finding new fitness inspiration or simply looking for an outlet to unwind, we
have got something planned for everyone at this one-day online extravaganza!

AIA Live starts at 10 AM SGT this 2 August
2020 on AIA's Healthy Living YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/AIAHealthyLiving     

About AIA

AIA Group Limited and
its subsidiaries (collectively "AIA" or the "Group") comprise the largest
independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence
in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific -- wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong
Kong SAR, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Mainland China, South Korea, the
Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau
SAR, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, a 99 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, and a 49
per cent joint venture in India.

The business that is
now AIA was first established in Shanghai a century ago in 1919. It is a market
leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums
and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total
assets of US$284 billion as of 31 December 2019.

AIA meets the
long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of
products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance
and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and
pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents,
partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than
36 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of
group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is
listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the
stock code "1299" with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the
over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: "AAGIY").

Released whitepaper assesses the key trends shaping Asia Pacific’s workforce, and the critical role of organizations, people and technology in realizing a hybrid workplace

SINGAPORE - Media
OutReach -29 JULY 2020 - As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to
transform our daily lives, Microsoft, with research from TechRepublic Premium,
looked into the impact the pandemic has had on the region's legacy work styles,
business operations and how it has accelerated an increase in overall technology
adoption, realizing a hybrid new normal of work.

Through a
qualitative research study the whitepaper, titled "Transitioning
Asia-Pacific to a New Normal of Work", sees business and
thought leaders across industries -- banking, healthcare, education, telecommunications,
research, and professional consultancies -- share their insights on how organizational cultures in Asia-Pacific are evolving
to a new paradigm of work.

"As different parts of the world were hit by COVID-19,
life and work were changed overnight for everyone," said Kady Dundas, Head of Marketing, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Corp.
"All of a sudden we've gone from working in conference rooms to working in living
rooms, and when you do that you have a high dependence on video. We know that
we have about 200 million meeting participants each day, which equates to 4.1
billion minutes of meetings[1]. Those data points show
the tremendous movement to remote work."

Technology: The Enabler

Amid the
pandemic, Microsoft found that while organizations have prioritized technology
adoption to enable remote working environments and
overall business transformation, the change was not driven through technology
alone.

"The technology side has been relatively
straightforward," said Dr Joseph Sweeney, IBRS Advisor and Future of Work
Expert. "When COVID-19 came and everyone had to start working from home,
Microsoft Teams was an obvious and natural tool to push out. It was already
there, and the environment is familiar to anyone using Microsoft Office 365. It
skyrocketed."

A forced mindset change was in play encouraging organizations
to rethink ways of working, how individuals, groups, and managers
interact with one another and the change management needed to adjust to the new
normal of work focusing on the emotional impact of the change.

"Often
the reluctance to allow remote work has to do with a quite outdated concept of
how managers need to manage -- for instance, you need to be able to 'see' people
to police that they are doing what they are meant to," said Sarah Kaine, Associate Professor,
Management Discipline Group and Core Member, CBSI - Centre for Business and Social Innovation, University of Technology, Sydney.

Emerging Trends in
the New Normal of Work

Some of
the emerging trends that organizations need to be aware
of as they plan for the hybrid new normal of work include:

1. The risk
   of burnout -- Organizations need to be mindful of the new perception
   of availability.  According to IBRS Advisor and Future of Work Expert, Joe
   Sweeney, one common response amongst people in their jobs is to "work
   harder and not switch off." Those who have started working from home are
   fielding calls from their bosses late into the evening, underlining the need to
   re-draw boundaries for out-of-hours contact.

2. Career progression concerns -- Organizations
   will need to reassess how performance is measured. Collaboration tools can measure activity but not the value that an
   individual has brought to the organization. Organizations are
   now finding that it is the "introverts" that are delivering while working from
   home, while the "star player" extroverts are no longer the center of attention.

3. The need for flexibility and empathy -- Research finds that nearly half (47 per cent) of
   people working from home reported managing at-home distractions as a challenge[2]. Organizations as
   well as managers and teammates should do their part to not
   only help employees create a distraction-free environment but also be more
   flexible in the delivery of work and empathize with people's challenges of
   working from home.
4. Tech training and preparedness -- As
   technology becomes a growing staple for employees, training will need to go
   hand-in-hand to unlock the full potential of hardware and software. "There have been people who were resistant to change --
   it was usually the seniors, because they never needed to learn how to use
   technology. They always had IT support in the room when they needed it," said
   Dr. Nitin Paranjape, CEO and Founder, MacOffice Services Private Limited based
   in India.

5. Incorporating a social element -- Organizations need
   to intentionally focus on policy and company culture rather than raw
   technology. The Microsoft Work Trend Index[3] released in April 2020 reflected
   this ongoing quest for human interaction -- the number of people turning on
   video in Microsoft Teams meetings had doubled from before working from home
   became mainstream. Beyond enabling video conferencing, organizations need to
   find ways to encourage innovation, creative flow of ideas, and camaraderie that
   makes an employee feel that they are a valued part of an organization.

The Future of Work
is Now and Hybrid

At
Microsoft's FY20 Q4 Earnings call[4] which reported a 6 percent
revenue increase in Productivity and Business Processes this fiscal year,
Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft shared, "The last five
months have made it clear that tech intensity is the key to business resilience.
Organizations that build their own digital capability will recover faster
and emerge from this crisis stronger."

Undoubtedly, COVID-19 had accelerated the transition
to new ways of working and honed the focus on innovation across the region. At
the same time, social and cultural environments also have a considerable impact
on how organizations approach the new normal of work.

In some cases, organizations are in the process of
aligning themselves to the national government's own response to the changing
nature of work. Hidekazu Shoto, Innovative
English and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Teacher, Ritsumeikan
Primary School in Japan shared how the primary school had to find ways to
respond to the changing regulatory environment around work that the government had
been implementing. "We just started a new working time system, to follow the
new labor laws in Japan. With that in mind, and each teacher's individual circumstances
at home, we had to think about how to match compliance with flexibility," said Hidekazu
Shoto. 

In
countries where commutes are longer, organizations will find that more staff
wish to work remotely. "The appeal is often due to the convenience of
professionals being able to manage their own timing," Andy Khoo, Maybank
Head of Customer Experience, based in Singapore, said. "There's less
transportation and time spent on the road -- particularly in countries like
Indonesia, Thailand and India, where commutes can be long. For other places,
like Singapore, it's simply that staff find they're more productive when
working from home."

Meanwhile,
countries with expensive real estate -- such as Australia and Singapore -- will
find financial benefit in transitioning to a model where office space is shared
and cycled among employees that spend part of the time in the office, and other
times working from home.

The hybrid approach in the future of work reflects how
the lines of work and personal life are blurring. Microsoft's second Work Trend
Index[5] found that beyond the
typical 9am-5pm work day, Microsoft Teams chats outside of the typical workday
(from 8-9 a.m. and 6-8 p.m.) have increased more than any other time during the
day, between 15% and 23%. Weekend work is spiking as well -- Teams chats on and
Saturday and Sunday have increased over 200%.

To cultivate the future workplace, organizations would
need to accelerate the process of developing policies enabling individuals to
break away from the standard 9 to 5 hours, setting reasonable expectations
around availability and relooking performance indicators.

Great Place to Work Institute, Chief Operating
Officer, Alicia Tung based in China said, "As far as emotions are concerned, we're not there yet. But it is
happening. In ten years' time, if I were to make a very broad prediction, I
would say 60-40 in terms of working in the office compared to working
remotely."

Business leaders must
refresh their focus on policies that enable the upkeep of robust security
strategies and effective collaboration. As
lockdowns continue to ease across the region, the next step will be a renewed
focus on policy during this hybrid new normal of work.

For more information on how organizations throughout
Asia-Pacific are grappling with -- and succeeding with -- remote work, read the
full paper here.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its
mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to
achieve more.

About TechRepublic Premium

TechRepublic
Premium offers the fastest and smartest way to solve the toughest problems in
IT today. Our library of premium IT resources includes original market
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Staying Resilient Amid Economic Uncertainty 1H 2020 Group Profitability Improved Year-on-Year

Highlights

First Half of 2020

• Group revenue of US$991.6
  million improved by 5.9% over the same period last year and decreased by 10.5% compared to the
  second half of last year
• Group net profit of HK$390.8
  million increased 119.2% as compared with the first six-month period of last year; and decreased 12.0% compared to the second six-month period of last year
• Group earnings per share of HK$0.95
  for the first half of 2020
• Semiconductor Solutions Segment
  revenue of US$473.3 million increased 16.6% over the first six-month period of
  last year and decreased 4.5% compared to the second six-month period of last
  year
• Materials Segment revenue of
  US$125.7 million improved 15.6% over the first six-month period of last year
  and fell by 3.2% compared to the second half of last year
• SMT Solutions Segment revenue
  of US$392.6 million decreased 6.9% and 18.7% over the first six-month period and the
  second six-month period of last year, respectively
• 1H new Group order bookings of US$1.14 billion increased
  7.4% and 19.0% over the first and second six-month periods of last year,
  respectively
• Group order backlog was US$ 799.9 million as of 30 June 2020
• 1H Book-to-Bill Ratio was 1.15

Second Quarter of 2020

• Group revenue of US$ 557.4
  million increased 27.8 % and 19.5%
  over the preceding quarter and the same period
  last year,
  respectively
• Group net profit of HK$365.4
  million increased 1,341.5% and 421.8% over the preceding quarter and the same
  period last year, respectively
• Group earnings per share of
  HK$0.89 for the second quarter 2020
• Group operating profits of HK$495.8
  million increased 241.1% and 95.8% over the preceding quarter and the same
  period last year, respectively
• Semiconductor Solutions Segment
  revenue of US$279.0 million increased 43.0% and 33.8% over the preceding quarter
  and over the same period last year, respectively
• Materials Segment revenue of
  US$ 74.2 million increased 43.2% and 28.2% over the preceding quarter
  and over the same period last year, respectively
• SMT Solutions Segment revenue
  of US$204.2 million increased 8.0% and 2.2% over the preceding quarter and
  the same period last year , respectively
• Q2 new Group order bookings of US$ 472.0 million decreased 29.4% and 21.6% over the preceding
  quarter and over the same
  period last year, respectively.
• Cash
  and bank deposits of HK$3.59 billion as of 30 June 2020

Charting a Bright Course for the Future

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach
- 29 July 2020 - ASM Pacific Technology
Limited ("ASMPT" or the
"Group") (Stock code: 0522) has announced that it reached an agreement to form a
Strategic Joint Venture ("SJV") involving its Materials segment with key partners.

Mr. Robin Ng, CEO, ASMPT, said "We have been closely monitoring the market
trends of the lead frame business for some years and have observed industry consolidation amongst
its market participants. Our Materials segment is consistently among the top
lead frame manufacturers globally. It continues to be a strong business, in
tandem with the growth of the global semiconductor market. However, the lead
frame business is extremely competitive and requires economies of scale in
order to be sustainably successful. This Strategic Joint Venture enables our Materials segment to prepare
its business for the future, benefitting its employees, its customers and the
Group."

Mr. Ng added that ASMPT had undertaken a
rigorous process to identify suitable strategic partners to help accelerate the
business growth of its Materials segment. The SJV partners, namely Wise Road Capital Ltd ("Wise Road"), Asia-IO
Capital Management Limited ("Asia-IO") and ASMPT, will collectively guide the
management and development of the SJV.

The SJV is expected to begin operating by the
end of the year.   In the
meantime, ASMPT's Materials segment will continue its
business, with the management team, operations, expansion plans and product
development unchanged. When the SJV begins operation, it will operate as an
independent business under the auspices of the SJV partners, tapping the deep
and complementary network and market experience of Wise Road and Asia IO to help
extend and solidify its leadership position in the lead frame market. ASMPT will
hold a minority equity interest in the SJV amounting to
44.44%, while Wise Road and
Asia-IO will collectively hold a controlling interest
of 55.56% through their designated investment vehicles. The financials
of the SJV will be equity accounted by the Group once the SJV begins operating.

"T he excellent track record, financial strength, and
collective attributes of the partners in this Strategic Joint Venture form a very strong and capable foundation to fully actualize
the immense potential inherent in the lead frame business. This will benefit all the stakeholders in ASMPT's
Materials segment, and give our customers the assurance that their
needs and future requirements are well looked after," concluded Mr. Ng.

"FITA is very
pleased to form a strategic partnership with ASMPT and supports its Strategic
Joint Venture with Wise Road Capital and Asia-IO. Wise Road Capital is one of
the key investment platforms in FITA. Through our strong alliance member network
of more than 100 leading high-tech players in China and the world, we are
confident that FITA can provide a strong synergistic support to this Strategic
Joint Venture and propel the growth of the business," said Mr. Brighten Li, Chairman of the Financial and
Information Technology Alliance (FITA).

"ASMPT is a
world class leader in the semiconductor value chain and we have full confidence
in the technology, quality and operations leadership of ASMPT's Materials
Segment. Wise Road Capital's senior management team brings a good combination
of finance expertise and industry expertise to support the success of the
Strategic Joint Venture. We believe that the additional financial resources and
industry network the new shareholders will bring in, plus a sharp focus on growing
the Materials business together with ASMPT, will bring the success of the
Strategic Joint Venture to the next level," said Mr. Fai Yeung, Managing Partner of Wise Road Capital.

"This
Strategic Joint Venture corroborates our strategy to back a high-quality player
that is investing to become an even stronger
player in the industry with a larger market share when
the market upcycle resumes," said Mr.
Denis Tse, Managing Partner of Asia-IO.

Priced from as low as one-third[1] the cost of a traditional critical illness (CI) plan, the FWD Big 3 CI plan offers one-time full pay-out upon diagnosis of any cancer, heart attack or stroke -- which collectively account for 90% of all CI insurance claims in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 29 July 2020 - FWD Singapore ("FWD") has launched a first-in-market insurance plan - Big 3 Critical Illness Insurance - that offers working adults comprehensive financial protection against three leading causes of death -- cancer, heart attack or stroke -- that together account for 90% of all critical illness (CI) insurance claims in the country.

This newly created plan is available from as low as one-third[1] the cost of a traditional CI insurance policy, providing a more affordable choice for working adults in Singapore. For example, a 35-year-old non-smoking male can get S$50,000 of coverage from as low as S$18 a month. According to a study[2] published by the Life Insurance Association (LIA) in 2018, a patient diagnosed with a critical illness requires at least S$316,000 to cover family needs and support recovery that would take approximately five years. However, the study revealed that the average critical illness coverage for a working adult in Singapore is just S$60,000, or about 20% of the recommended coverage. FWD Singapore offers this new Big 3 Critical Illness Insurance plan -- which is available in three coverage sums of $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 -- aiming to help Singaporeans plug the shortfall in their CI protection gap.

Sociologist Tan Ern Ser attributed this worrying protection gap to the heavy financial constraints and pressures faced by many working adults in Singapore. Associate Professor Tan, who researched on family issues and social policies at the National University of Singapore, explained, "I believe most people would like to have adequate critical illness insurance cover, but they don't, or feel, they don't have enough disposable income to pay for all sorts of insurance, important as they are, and this is most likely because they have multiple financial commitments, such as to parents and children, and servicing housing loans."

Against this worrying backdrop, FWD Singapore CEO Khor Kee Eng said, "The Big 3 Critical Illness Insurance offers all working adults an affordable solution and an important safeguard for their dependents, young and old. As the LIA study clearly states, inadequacy in critical illness insurance coverage among them can lead to significant social and economic impact for their loved ones, especially given the prevalence of cancer, heart attack or stroke in Singapore. We will continue to ride on our customer-led approach to innovate more easy-to-understand products to support Singaporeans."

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore, with one in five Singaporeans likely to contract a form of the disease in their lifetime, while an average of 17 lives are lost to heart diseases or stroke every day, according to 2018 statistics from the Singapore Heart Foundation.

WHAT IS FWD BIG 3 CRITICAL ILLNESS INSURANCE?

The FWD Big 3 Critical Illness Insurance plan is a protection policy that provides coverage for heart attack, cancer and all stages of cancer. Insured customers will receive a one-time full pay-out of the insured sum upon diagnosis of any of the three diseases, to enable them to focus on recovery and taking care of their financial commitments and those of their loved ones. The other key features of the product are:

• No medical examination -- The application process can be completed fully online at www.fwd.com.sg. Applicants need only to answer one health declaration and does not require medical examination like applying for traditional CI plans.

• Comprehensive yet affordable protection -- A 35-year-old non-smoking male can get S$50,000 of coverage from as low as S$18 a month.

• Guaranteed cover up to age 85 -- Residents between 18 and 65 years old (both inclusive) with a valid NRIC or FIN number can buy the FWD Big 3 Critical Illness Insurance, with the guaranteed option to renew up to age 85.

• Death benefit -- In the event of death, we pay a lump sum benefit of S$20,000.

• All stages of cancer -- FWD is the first digital insurer that offers full pay-out for all stages of cancer.

• Enhanced coverage with riders -- Guaranteed one-time full pay-out should you suffer from or require procedures from any of the 24 covered heart and neurological conditions that affect your brain (11 conditions) or heart (13 conditions) function. These include coronary artery disease and bacterial meningitis.

Kee Eng added, "For insurance, the moments of truth come in three areas, namely the affordability and extent of coverage, the ease of the application process and most crucially, the ease of making a claim. We believe the Big 3 Critical Illness Insurance satisfies all three criteria and clearly demonstrates how FWD is changing the way people feel about insurance in Singapore."

[1] Information correct as of 25 June 2020 according to internal proprietary research. Base plan comparison is for All stage Cancer, late stage Stroke and late stage Heart attack against similar plans (not identical) in the market.

[2] The Life Insurance Association's Protection Gap Study 2017
https://www.lia.org.sg/media/1332/protection-gap-study-report-2017.pdf

About FWD

FWD Group spans Hong Kong & Macau, Thailand, Indonesia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia, offering life and
medical insurance, general insurance, employee benefits, Shariah and Family
Takaful products across a number of its markets. 

FWD is focused on creating fresh customer experiences, with
easy-to-understand products, supported by digital technology. Through this
customer-led approach, FWD aims to become a leading pan-Asian insurer that
changes the way people feel about insurance.

Established in Asia in 2013, FWD started operations in
Singapore in 2016 and is the insurance business of investment group, Pacific
Century Group. For more information please visit www.fwd.com.sg

CIFI’s subsidiary Ever Sunshine also enters the ranking and wins multiple awards for the first time

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 28 July 2020 - CIFI Holdings (Group) Co. Ltd. ("CIFI" or the "Group", HKEx stock code: 884), a leading real estate developer engaging in property development and investment in first-, second- and leading third-tier cities in China, has won multiple awards for the fourth consecutive year in the "All-Asia Executive Team Rankings" organized by Institutional Investor, an international financial magazine in 2020. CIFI also has been rated as one of the "Honored Companies" in Asia.

Awards (Property, Overall Ranking) won by CIFI:

• "Best CEO in Asia" Mr. LIN Feng, 3^rd Place
• "Best CFO in Asia" Mr. YANG Xin, 3^rd Place
• "Best IR Team in Asia", 1^st Place
• "Best IR Program in Asia", 3^rd Place
• "Best ESG in Asia", 3^rd Place

In addition, Ever Sunshine Lifestyle Services Group Limited ("Ever Sunshine", HKEx stock code: 1995), which is a subsidiary of CIFI that was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 18 December 2018, has also made it to the "All-Asia Executive Team Rankings" for the first time since its listing and has won multiple awards showing industry recognition.

Awards (Property, Overall Ranking) won by Ever Sunshine:

• "Best CEO in Asia" Mr. ZHOU Hongbin, 1^st Place
• "Best CFO in Asia" Mr. ZHOU Di, 1^st Place
• "Best IR Professionals in Asia" Mr. YAN Xian, 1^st Place
• "Best IR Program in Asia", 1^st Place
• "Best ESG in Asia", 1^st Place

Recognized as an authoritative ranking by industries, "All-Asia Executive Team Rankings" celebrates the outstanding companies and management teams in Asia. This year, a total of 1,921 buy-side analysts and 611 sell-side analysts had participated in a vote on the selection of winners at the invitation of Institutional Investor. They rated the listed companies within the scope of their research according to a number of criteria used in evaluating performance in corporate governance.

For more details, please refer to: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com

About CIFI (Group):

Headquartered in Shanghai, CIFI is one of China's top real estate developers. CIFI principally focuses on developing high-quality properties in first-, second- and selective third-tier cities in China. CIFI develops various types of properties, including residential, office and commercial complexes.

To learn more about the Company, please visit CIFI's website at: www.cifi.com.cn

Prudential enhances customer offerings and engagement by introducing the science-backed Personal Activity Intelligence score across 11 Asian markets

HONG KONG, CHINA and VANCOUVER, CANADA - Media OutReach - 28 July 2020
- Prudential Corporation Asia (Prudential)
and PAI Health today
announced that PAI Health's science-backed activity metric for heart health,
known as Personal Activity Intelligence, will be featured in the Pulse by
Prudential (Pulse) digital health app, the first of its kind to offer holistic
health management to consumers in Asia.

PAI Health services will be available to
Pulse users across 11 markets in Asia. PAI
adds to a growing suite of services on Pulse, which provides access to health
and wellness tools and real-time information to consumers across the region.
Since the launch of Pulse in August last year, the app has already been
downloaded over 6.5 million times.

Mr. Nic Nicandrou, Chief Executive of Prudential
Corporation Asia, said, "It has never been a more important time than now to
help people build health resilience and boost immunity by adopting a more
active lifestyle. Through Pulse, we are committed to providing leading
technology, content and services to help people live healthier lives. We are excited to add PAI Health's programme
to our platform and provide new actionable heart health insights to users, so we
can help them live healthy and well, for longer."

The collaboration will allow Pulse users to
benefit from a ground-breaking new activity score and health programme that guides
people to better health, by quantifying the exact level of physical activity
each person needs to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. Derived from
one of the most comprehensive health studies (the HUNT Study), and recently
validated with a large US population of over 56,000 participants, maintaining a
PAI score of 100 or more has been associated with a reduction of mortality risk
from cardiovascular disease and other lifestyle diseases by an average of 25%,
with the potential to extend people's lives by an average of five years.

Users require a compatible heart monitor
wearable to enable the PAI feature in the Pulse app. The PAI feature is device-agnostic,
meaning it can be used with any leading wearable brands including Apple, Garmin
and Fitbit devices. Users can set and achieve health
goals, track physical and nutrition activities, receive feedback, coaching and
guidance on their health and fitness, as well as access useful content and
insights. For those without an existing device, Huami, a healthcare services
technology company and world-leading maker of smart wearables, will be a featured partner enabling customers to purchase their
affordable Amazfit devices directly via the Pulse app. 

"PAI is becoming the new health standard for physical activity,
addressing the global health problem of inactivity that has reached concerning proportions,"
says Sally Powell, General Manager of PAI Health. "Given that PAI is so
inclusive, being suited to all fitness levels and recognising all forms of
physical activity, we are delighted that Prudential will be introducing PAI in
the Pulse app. This will motivate millions of users to become more active with
a potential to make profound improvements in public health."

About Pulse by Prudential

Pulse by Prudential is a digital health app and the first
of its kind in the region to offer holistic health management to consumers.
Using AI-powered self-help tools and real-time information, the app serves as a
24/7 health and wellness partner to users, helping them prevent, postpone, and
protect against the onset of diseases. Pulse is part of Prudential's region-wide strategy to provide affordable
and accessible healthcare to everyone across Asia by leveraging digital
technologies and best-in-class partnerships. 

Following the regional launch of Pulse in Malaysia in
August 2019, Pulse is now available in a total of 11 markets across the region
and includes a growing suite of value-add services, such as a symptom checker
and health assessment, personal wellness services, and video consultations with
certified doctors and specialists.

Since
its launch, Pulse has been downloaded more than 6 million times in Asia to
date. Pulse is currently available on the Apple/Google Play stores in Cambodia,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

For
more information, and to download Pulse, log on to www.wedopulse.com. 

About PAI
Health

PAI Health allows organizations to assess, monitor and
guide their people to better health, providing individuals with motivational
guidance on personalized recommended physical activity levels. Our mission is
to optimize anyone's path to better health by making the science-backed
Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) metric a global health standard through
partnerships with insurers, employee wellness programs, technology platforms,
health care providers and other industry partners. For more
information, please visit www.paihealth.com.

About Prudential Corporation Asia

Prudential Corporation Asia is a business unit of Prudential
plc (United Kingdom)*, comprising its life insurance operations in Asia and
Africa, and its asset management business, Eastspring Investments. It is
headquartered in Hong Kong.

Prudential is a leading life insurer with operations spanning
six markets in Africa and 13 markets in Asia, covering Cambodia, China, Hong
Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Through a robust multi-channel distribution
platform, Prudential provides a comprehensive range of savings, investment and
protection products to meet the diverse needs of Asian families.

Eastspring Investments manages investments across Asia on
behalf of a wide range of retail and institutional investors. It is a leading
Asia-based asset manager with on-the-ground presence in 11 major Asian markets
as well as distribution offices in North America and Europe. It has over US$241
billion in assets under management (as at 31 December 2019), managing funds
across a range of asset classes including equities and fixed income.

*Prudential
plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc. of the
United States or with the Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G
plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.

Prudential
plc is listed on the stock exchanges of London (PRU.L), Hong Kong (2378.HK),
Singapore (K6S.SG) and New York (PUK.N).

The choice is now yours - Poly offers 2X more Microsoft Teams certified headsets and personal speakerphones than the next leading provider

SINGAPORE
- Media OutReach - July
28, 2020 - Plantronics,
Inc. ("Poly" -- formerly Plantronics and
Polycom) (NYSE: PLT), a global communications company that powers meaningful
human connection and collaboration, today announced that Poly now has
the largest portfolio of Microsoft Teams certified headsets available, offering greater flexibility
and choice with more than twenty headsets and personal speakerphones certified
for Teams. This solidifies Poly as having the most comprehensive end-to-end suite of
Teams certified headsets, video devices, phones and speakerphones available.

Poly has sold nearly 17 million Microsoft compatible devices over the
last three years. Our latest portfolio of certified devices with the dedicated
purple Teams button includes the Voyager 4200 Office Series and Voyager 5200
Office Series headsets, Calisto 3200 and 5300 speakerphones,  Blackwire 3300 Series, and the recently
announced Blackwire 8225 headsets. The dedicated Teams button allows you to
instantly invoke your Teams meeting as well as receive alerts and notifications
so you never miss a beat.

"We understand that every
worker - from executives to the entry-level -- may have their own preferred
workstyle. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, organizations should cater
to each individual, aligning their tools and endpoints with the different
workstyles to enhance productivity and efficiency," said Pierre-Jean
Châlon, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Poly. "That is why we are
committed to providing a wide range of high-quality solutions that seamlessly
integrate with Microsoft Teams, providing the flexibility and choice to meet
the needs of any worker."

With the significant
increase in home working here to stay, our need to collaborate at a distance will
remain essential. As such, Microsoft Teams usage continues to skyrocket,
having gone from 32 million users in early March 2020[1] to 75 million users by April 2020[2], creating an even greater need for
Teams integrated devices.

"As distance and remote
working continues for many organizations, the need for a wide variety of UCC
integrated devices, including Microsoft Teams, will remain a top priority,"
said Alaa Sayed, industry director, Frost and Sullivan. "No other vendor comes
close to Poly's deep portfolio of Teams certified devices for home, office, and
everywhere in between. Poly's ability to offer simple, flexible and reliable
communications endpoints is just one of the reasons Poly continues to be a leading
provider of global enterprise headsets."

Poly's portfolio offers Teams
certified devices ranging from wireless DECT™ headset systems like Savi 8200 Office and UC Series, to premium Bluetooth® headsets
that connect to PCs and
mobiles like the Voyager family, to portable USB speakerphones like Calisto 5300.
All certified products have been rigorously tested and Microsoft certified to
ensure the best audio and user experience and have been thoughtfully designed
to work flexibly and seamlessly with Microsoft Teams -- creating a one-stop shop
for your organization's collaboration device needs whether you're a Microsoft
Teams aficionado or just starting your journey to leverage Microsoft Teams.

For a full list of Poly
Microsoft Teams certified devices now available for order and shipping, please visit here for more information.

About Poly

Plantronics,
Inc. ("Poly" -- formerly Plantronics and Polycom) (NYSE: PLT) is a global
communications company that powers meaningful human connection and
collaboration. Poly combines legendary audio expertise and powerful video and
conferencing capabilities to overcome the distractions, complexity and distance
that make communication in and out of the workplace challenging. Poly believes
in solutions that make life easier when they work together and with our
partners' services. Our headsets, software, desk phones, audio and video
conferencing, analytics and services are used worldwide and are a leading
choice for every kind of workspace. For more information visit www.Poly.com.

Poly, the
propeller design, and the Poly logo are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. Bluetooth
is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use by Plantronics,
Inc. is under license.  All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Media OutReach - 27 July
2020 - CakeRush - an industry leader in
delivering sweet treats across Malaysia, has now spread its' wings over to the
Philippines. A subsidiary of Limitless
Technology Sdn Bhd, CakeRush's holding brand boasts a portfolio of the best
gifting resources across South East Asia -- including Flower Chimp, a flower
delivery service operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and more.

Launched on the
7^th of July 2020, CakeRush Philippines intends to become the country's
top platform for customers looking for cakes of all sorts -- partnering with a wide
variety of bakers, right from humble home-bakers to well renowned local
favourites to meet every sweet need in the market.

CakeRush's
array of offerings include all sorts of decadent cakes, cookies, brownies, and
unique cakes that come inside of a can; all of which come in a variety of
flavours -- with plans of further extending their range of offerings.

With the use of
proprietary logistics technologies, CakeRush provides a seamless stream for
both, its customers and bakers, eliminating every hassle involved in the
ordering a cake -- right from its creation to reaching to its recipient.

CakeRush prides
itself in being the most efficient in the online cake delivery realm -- with not
only the best quality and range of offerings, but also in terms of service and
speed.

With a
frictionless channel for its bakers, and an array of choices for its consumers,
CakeRush covers all bases of the cake process, including free delivery on all
orders across Metro Manila -- and plans of spanning across all of the
Philippines in the near future.

Providing a
superior alternative to going out to purchase a cake, especially during these
trying times, CakeRush is set to successfully spread the sweetness across the
Philippines.

About Limitless Technology

Founded in 2016
by German entrepreneurs Maximilian Lotz and Niklas Frassa, Limitless Technology
saw its beginnings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- eventually expanding across South East Asia
through Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore. 

Specially
catering to consumers in the gifting and lifestyle e-commerce segment, the group
strives to serve the growing demand for gift delivery services across South
East Asia with high caliber technologies, services, and teams.

The company has consequently attracted significant venture funding from local
and international investors, and is currently venturing out into new markets
and additional brands.