Beginning today, Hong Kong and Singapore can now bring
creative projects to life with the support of the Kickstarter community locally.

Kickstarter Opens to Creators in
Asia for the First Time

Beginning today, Hong Kong and Singapore can now bring creative projects to life with the support of the Kickstarter community locally.

Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding community for creative projects, launches in Asia today, officially extending its service to creators in both Hong Kong and Singapore for the first time. Kickstarter introduced crowdfunding to a new generation of creators — from filmmakers, musicians, and authors, to artists, designers, game developers, and beyond, who use it to fund and build communities of support around projects across the creative universe.

“Kickstarter has empowered millions of people to be part of the development and production of new creative works,” says CEO and Co-Founder, Yancey Strickler. “As one of the most exciting regions for emerging creative culture and innovation, we’re thrilled to begin to support creators in Asia.”

Kickstarter’s founders (From L to R: Co-founder Charles Adler, Creator and Chairman Perry Chen, Co-Founder and CEO Yancey Strickler)

Creators launching projects from
Hong Kong on Kickstarter today include:

URI LED Light Bulb
By Nap. 


For more information about this project, click here.

The Unappropriated Recipes – Conceptual Cookbook
By Para Site*, endorsed by Art Basel’s Crowdfunding Initiative. 

For more information about this project, click here.

CROZ D.I.Y. Digital Camera
By George Lin
(based in Taiwan)

For more information about this project, click here.

KICKSTARTER PLATFORM LAUNCH DATE:
August 31, 2016

TNG Wallet Revolutionises Ticketing for Hong Kong Book Fair
with Electronic Admission Tickets
e-Ticket purchase made swifter and smarter; anytime, anywhere
100,000 FREE Hong Kong Book Fair e-Tickets Giveaway to reward new members

[Hong Kong – 7 July 2016] TNG Wallet, the next generation e-Wallet provider which pioneered the one-stop e-Ticketing experience for the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair last year, has now been appointed the sole official e-Ticketing outlet for the HKTDC’s Hong Kong Book Fair 2016. All TNG members will be able to purchase this year’s Hong Kong Book Fair e-Tickets via TNG Wallet app. TNG is also giving out 100,000 FREE Hong Kong Book Fair e-Tickets (worth HK$ 25) to reward new users registering a TNG Wallet account, in the hopes of facilitate the development of electronic payment lifestyle in Hong Kong while foster a reading culture.

e-Ticket Purchase Anytime Anywhere – No More Queuing
Starting at 10am on 5th July 2016 (Tue), TNG Wallet members can purchase Hong Kong Book Fair 2016 e-Tickets (Adult: HK $25; Child: HK $10) anytime, anywhere using the “Coupons & Tickets” function in their TNG Wallet App. Once the purchase is completed, members will receive a QR Code representing their ticket in their TNG Wallet[1]. E-tickets with QR code can minimise the risk of being denied entry due to a lost physical ticket. TNG also makes it convenient for members to gift e-Tickets to other TNG users, with just a few clicks on their smartphone. Furthermore, TNG members can make multiple purchases for accompanying friends, who can enter the Book Fair simply by presenting their e-Tickets under onsite instructions.

In recent years, the Hong Kong Book Fair has attracted over a million visitors. TNG CEO Mr Alex Kong said that the new, diversified functions of the TNG Wallet would eliminate queuing times for tickets. “Technological development is certainly poised to address, and eventually solve various social problems. Take electronic payment tools as an example. TNG Wallet allows people to buy exhibition or event tickets in a matter of seconds, and is powerful enough to handle transactions simultaneously by multiple users. This means a considerable time reduction spent on waiting or queuing for physical tickets. For enterprises burdened by the high costs of traditional tickets production in terms of design, printing, logistics and manpower, e-Tickets are cost effective and offer greater flexibility. In short, e-Tickets benefit both event organisers and participants.”

Giveaway of 100,000 FREE Book Fair e-Tickets to Promote e-Payment Lifestyle and Reading Culture in Hong Kong

To celebrate its appointment as the sole official e-Ticketing outlet for the Hong Kong Book Fair 2016, TNG Wallet is giving away 100,000 FREE Book Fair e-Tickets to new users registering as TNG members for the first time, between 5th and 19th July. Each new TNG member will receive one free e-Ticket worth HK$ 25 in their TNG Wallet for the Hong Kong Book Fair 2016 on a first come, first served basis, while stocks last1. The Hong Kong Book Fair is also extending an additional offer to TNG members: members who purchase or redeem 20 Julyor 21 July Book Fair regular tickets can use the same tickets for admission again on 22, 23 or 24 July after 7pm. Mr Kong adds that his agenda goes beyond promoting local e-Payment lifestyle, to enabling greater social development: “With TNG as an e-Ticketing platform, we can expect even more visitors to this year’s Book Fair. e-Ticket users are expected to take up approximately 20 percent of the total visitor count, which are our forecast and our target. As a Hong Kong start-up, we’re not just focused on driving our business and promoting e-Payment lifestyle. We want to help advance social development in various aspects. Through giving away e-Tickets and offering an easier way to buy tickets, we hope to bring more people to this year’s Book Fair, cultivate a reading culture, and do our part in supporting the local economy and publishing industry.”

In addition to the Hong Kong Book Fair 2016, TNG Wallet will also continue to serve as an e-Ticket outlet for other local exhibitions and events, large and small, so more people can experience the convenience enabled by TNG’s leading-edge e-Payment lifestyle. Through these efforts, TNG expects to boost Hong Kong’s e-Payments industry as well as the level of attendance at local exhibitions and events.

Looking ahead, Mr Kong says, “It has only been eight months since TNG Wallet’s launch and we are proud of its achievements. We started out by collaborating with merchants on top-up and purchase offers, but have never stopped innovating and developing lifestyle and convenience-enhancing functions to meet merchant and user needs. This April, we debuted e-Payments for taxi rides in Hong Kong. Last month, we launched TNG Wallet 2.0, featuring intuitive features such as cash withdrawal, credit card top-up and bank transfer. Now, TNG Wallet has become a part of one of Hong Kong’s largest exhibitions, thanks to support from different sectors in our society. Looking ahead, we will explore further collaboration opportunities with exhibition and event organisers, so that more people can benefit. We will continue to lead Hong Kong to as it Steps Forward to a new and more efficient digital lifestyle with TNG!”

About TNG
Founded in 2013, TNG is committed to bringing its leading-edge technology to enhance the life of Hong Kong people through its next generation payment, money transfer and lifestyle management solutions. TNG is a user-friendly and technologically-advanced electronic wallet that combines innovative promotion and marketing strategies, such as online-to-offline (O2O) transactions and payments, targeted marketing, member benefits, e-tickets and e-coupons in one solution on the smartphone for users to settle transactions such as purchase payments, bill payments, bank transfer, instant credit card top-up service, cash withdrawal and convenient peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfers.

TNG’s convenient and free-to-user value adding (top-up) service is available at numerous merchants in Hong Kong, including all 759 Stores, all 7-Eleven convenience stores, all Jetco ATM terminals, credit cards, as well as the online banking platform of selected banks. Thanks to the built-in customer relationship management (CRM) platform which is free to merchants, merchants can now enjoy a more affordable non-cash payment option with low handling fee, significant improvement in their cash flow through TNG’s fast settlement of transactions with merchants, and a CRM tool that allows merchants to more fully engage with their customers.

TNG is committed to revolutionising the way consumers shop and pay by providing the most convenient and affordable electronic wallet services for corporate and individual users. At the same time, TNG continues to leverage its cutting-edge technology by optimising its next generation electronic payment system to create a more efficient and convenient lifestyle for users, taking Hong Kong’s fintech and e-payment industries to a higher level. Step Forward with TNG.

For details, stay connected with:
TNG website: http://www.tng.asia
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/TNGWallet
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TNGWallet

• Finquest, the fastest growing global platform to foster cross-border mid-market direct investments in Asia, announced that it has found the solution to build bridges between institutional investors, M&A Advisors, and Asian mid-market Companies.

• Its first-of-its kind platform combines the use of smart predictive algorithms, a proprietary database, and industry expertise to deliver quality, curated introductions for its clients.

HONG KONG, CHINA / SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 11 July, 2016 – Providing curated introductions to help kick-start cross-border direct investments, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and deals, Finquest is now connecting M&A advisors with the global investment community and a vibrant ecosystem of mid-sized companies in Asia.

The Finquest platform combines proprietary database of M&A and investment professionals with cutting-edge analytic technology and decades of industry expertise to build bridges between global investors, M&A advisors, and Asian mid-market companies.

Finquest supports three specific groups: institutional investors looking to strengthen and diversify their direct investment portfolios; reputable Corporate Finance and M&A advisors who want to enlarge their global access to investors and close deals faster; and companies who need to finance their next stage of growth or seek acquisitions or exit opportunities.

There is an estimated half a million mid-market companies in Asia. These companies are too small to go public, but too large to have their corporate finance needs met by early-stage venture capital firms, crowdfunding platforms, or peer-to-peer lending. Furthermore, less than 1% are currently backed by private equity.

With economic growth in Asia continuing to outpace other regions, the world’s institutional investors are becoming more interested in exploring opportunities in this market. However, lack of access and the market’s overwhelming size and complexity are blocking progress. This has created a need for smart matching that Finquest uniquely provides on its platform.

Finquest has built its very own database that covers an impressive 20,000+ organisations from the global investment community, M&A advisors and mid-market companies.

With such a wide outreach, Finquest can leverage both its technology and an unrivalled wealth of human capital to locate the best opportunities for its clients. To this end, the platform generates results using machine learning techniques that continuously fine-tune the algorithms. These results are then curated by Finquest’s team of analysts to generate a short list of potential introductions that best meets the needs of its clients.

Finquest’s platform is designed to guarantee confidentiality and data security at every stage of the process. To maintain privacy and information confidentiality, no profile or deal information is visible on the platform, until an introduction is made. This process precisely reflects how reputable M&A advisors work in the offline world with regards to privacy and confidentiality standards. Furthermore, integrity is ingrained in Finquest’s business model, which is based on subscriptions rather than commissions on deals to prevent any potential conflict of interest.

“Finquest is a strong believer in the unique combination of proprietary database, smart predictive algorithms, and human capital to deliver the most relevant and actionable curated introductions to its clients,” said Tanguy Lesselin, CEO and Co-Founder at Finquest. “We are providing a convenient gateway to an untapped but booming investment universe.”

About Finquest
Finquest is the fastest-growing, institutional grade platform for mid-market direct investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Finquest connects institutional investors, M&A advisors, and companies to help generate new opportunities and close deals faster. Finquest currently has operations in Hong Kong, Luxembourg and Singapore.

Website: www.finquest.com

What Millenials Want – Banks are beginning to fully grasp that millennials — generally considered those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s — have different preferences when it comes to financial products and investment advice than previous generations, industry observers said.

To build relationships with younger consumers over the long-term, banks should invest in technological improvements in how communications are handled (voice, text, email, social media, apps, etc).  The good news is that this new generation is very committed to mobile banking.

Learn from Print Media Companies that were hit by the Digitalization Tsunami a Decade ago. 

Below are some interesting Infographics created by Business Insider Intelligence:

Mobile Is Pulling Customers Away From Branches And Online Banking:

Original Source: To read more about the Millenials’ Attitude towards Banking, please subscribe to Business Insider Intelligence and read “The Mobile and Online Banking Report”. To access the full report from BI Intelligence, sign up for a full-access 14-day trial here. Full-access members also gain access to new in-depth reports, hundreds of charts, as well as daily newsletters on the digital industry. Follow Business Insider on Twitter.  Feature Image Source:  The Financial Brand

UBS is among the Top 10 FinTech banks according to Financial News which published an animation summarizing the Banking Fintech Stars’ initiatives.

The company launched a Competition called “The UBS Future of Finance Challenge“, in search for startups that can help it improve 4 key areas:

(1) Client Experience
(2) Products
(3) Efficiency
(4) Security

UBS says it is

Looking for innovative and potentially disruptive technological ideas and solutions that will support the transformation of the banking industry.

With a top prize of US$50,000, winners will share over US$300,000 in prizes & support. The company will offer finalists over 300 hours of coaching and mentoring and the opportunity to test and develop their ideas and technologies with help from UBS’s global panel of experts and partners in one of their innovation centers.

But why is UBS doing all this? CIO Bussmann stated in an email statement: “Digital disruption is driving an unprecedented transformation of our industry and radical new technologies present a unique opportunity for a step-change to our client offerings.”

Regional and Global Finals to follow.

Original Source: Business Insider and Pubrecord.org

What’s the buzz with Blockchain? Well, Blockchain is the technology on which Bitcoin functions. By definition, Blockchain is a ledger of all transactions that were executed and is a write-only platform, whereby transactions once executed cannot be modified. It can be further divided into Public and Private blockchains.

Banks are at the Tipping Point of Transformation, streamlining current processes to improve efficiencies. Many banks have setup departments to do experiments on private block chain or semi-public block chains. It is estimated that blockchain technology can help banks reduce infrastructure costs by up to $20 billion a year.

Above is a timeline of different financial institutions that are showing interests in blockchain, Infographic created by Let’s Talk Payments.

A total of 26 different banks that have either partnered with or expressed interest in exploring Blockchain:
– JP Morgan
– Citibank
– Barclays
– Credit Suisse
– BBVA
– Santander
– Lloyds
– BNP Paribas
– Bank of America Merrill Lynch
– HSBC
– Deutsche Bank
– RBS
– Rabobank
– ABN Amro Bank
– ING Bank
– Westpac
– Commonwealth bank
– ANZ Bank
– DBS Bank
– Societe Generale
– Standard Chartered
– LHV Bank
– Fidor Bank
– CBW Bank
– Cross River Bank
– USAA Bank

A report by GrowthPraxis (a payments research firm) has identified 20 Non-Financial Use Cases for Blockchain Technology:

Please Click on the Image to see the Enlarged version:

Blockchain technology allows everyone to hold and make transactions as strangers but in a completely transparent manner. There is no mediator in between two parties making the transaction, and the entire process becomes easier and cheaper. This concept can be applied to the entire digital world, making any kind of exchange/transactions secure.

The different blockchain startups involved are: Ripple Labs, Earthport, GetGems, Everledger, R3CEV, Circle, Safello, Digital Asset Holdings, Symbiont, Coinfloor, Coinbase, Chromaway, Coin Republic, Clearmatics, Kraken, and Bitcoin.de

The concepts that are being explored are: Asset registries, smart contracts, smart shares, smart bonds, trading, cross-border payments and digital payment system, trade execution and settlement, digital security, risk management, post-trade processing services, regulatory reporting, KYC, AML, and faster payments.

Original Source: Growth Praxis and Let’s Talk Payments

Please Click on the Image to see the Enlarged version:

Original Source: Venture Scanner. Venture Scanner enables corporations to research, identify, and connect with the most innovative technologies and companies – through their unique combination of data, technology and expert analysts. For detailed information on the above, please go to Venture Scanner’s website to learn more. If you have any questions, please email Venture Scanner directly at info@venturescanner.com.

Please Click on the Image to see the Enlarged version:

Original Source: Venture Scanner. Venture Scanner enables corporations to research, identify, and connect with the most innovative technologies and companies – through their unique combination of data, technology and expert analysts. For detailed information on the above, please go to Venture Scanner’s website to learn more. If you have any questions, please email Venture Scanner directly at info@venturescanner.com.

Please Click on the Image to see the Enlarged version:

Original Source: CB Insights