EXR to be stable preservation digital asset for global businesses

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- EXR Foundation Limited and a stellar consortium of partners will launch EXR, a new stable digital asset, to be governed by a Libra-like association.

EXR aims to bridge industries of blockchain and traditional finance, acting as a safe capital preservation asset that would help businesses hedge against looming international trade conflicts.

The alliance of established technology companies, telecoms players, payment gateways, high-tech manufacturers, non-governmental organisations and more will oversee the EXR foundation which is tasked with the final design of EXR and to roll out the solution.

EXR is set up so that any company will be able to accept the digital asset and build wallets collectively that can be used by businesses of all sizes and types, in much the same way as how Bitcoin organically attracted wallet providers and exchanges.

However, EXR is a much more open platform where participants will be able to propose and implement rules and tech protocols in an open voting structure.

EXR also aims to simplify the relationship between demand and supply of goods and services with a stable means of transaction.

Customers and merchants can trade stress-free, secure in the knowledge that EXR‘s value stays consistent with that of major fiat currencies at all times.

More details at https://www.exr.org/

-- BERNAMA

​CHICAGO BOOTH EXECUTIVE EDUCATION ADDS MORE GLOBAL FLEXIBILITY TO ADVANCED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

CHICAGO, Aug 2 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Executive Education is adding more flexibility to one of its most popular programs for senior executives, giving top business leaders the option to complete an elective in Chicago and in Asia.

Starting with the October 2019 cohort, Chicago Booth will offer senior executives enrolled in the Advanced Management Program the flexibility to choose to attend two of the many two-day-long programs at Booth’s Hong Kong campus in order to fulfill one elective requirement. This addition allows executives to complete the program around the globe with more personalization.

Chicago Booth’s Advanced Management Program is the only top-tier business school program to offer electives as part of the overall curriculum. This flexible, individualized course of study includes three week-long core sessions and three elective sessions, allowing executives to choose classes that fit their experiences and professional interests.

At the recently opened Booth Hong Kong campus—named The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Center – the two-day-long elective programs include Leading High-Performance Organizations; Negotiations: Strategies and Processes for Impactful Outcomes; Strategic Thinking; and coming in spring 2020, Fintech Foundations. In Chicago, executives will continue to be able to choose from more than 50 classes held throughout the year to complete the elective requirements.

“At Booth, we understand that flexibility in scheduling is critical for senior executives. We are constantly adapting to the demands of a global business climate with executive education programs that fit the realities of a fast-paced and demanding world,” says Harry Davis, Roger l. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management and Advanced Management Program Faculty Director.

Booth Executive Education offers world-class education across finance, leadership, strategy, marketing, and comprehensive management, and designs custom programs tailored to meet an organization’s unique challenges. Programs are taught by the same faculty who teach in Booth’s MBA degree program. The Booth Executive Education network represents over 27,000 executives across 130 countries.

To learn more about Chicago Booth’s Advanced Management Program, visit chicagobooth.edu/amp.

About The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the United States and the first to teach executives. As an intellectual destination, Chicago Booth draws scholars and students from around the world to its campuses in Chicago (Hyde Park, downtown Chicago), London and Hong Kong. Booth consistently ranks among the top business schools in the world, and its graduates include dozens of notable business leaders across the U.S. and worldwide. Nine faculty members have been named Nobel Prize winners, three of whom currently teach at Booth.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190801005873/en/

Contact
Executive Education Program Contact 
Mark Lewis, Executive Director 
Executive Education 
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business 
+1 312.464.8732 
exec.ed@chicagobooth.edu

Source : The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

--BERNAMA

FORMER TATA COMMUNICATIONS' DIRECTOR JOINS SIMO CORPORATION AS CEO OF IOT & B2B BUSINESS UNIT

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- SIMO Corporation, the parent company behind Skyroam (http://www.skyroam.com/), a leading portable WiFi device brand, announces the establishment of a new IoT & B2B business unit, with Ludovic Lassauce, former head of mobile and Internet of Things in the Asia-Pacific region for Tata Communications, appointed as CEO. Following SIMO Corporation’s strategy to become the reference open connectivity platform (PaaS) for IoT devices, the new business unit will enable any 3^rd party devices with its virtual eSIM™ technology that is already serving over 10 million Skyroam WiFi users globally.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190731006139/en/

Since the beginning of IoT, the industry has ushered in waves of new innovative companies, from startups to larger enterprises such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft. However, the growth of IoT remained slow due to the fragmentation of different complex layers of services to be integrated together including hardware, software to cloud, and global connectivity. According to Ericsson Mobile Trend Report, by 2025 the number of Internet of Things connections will reach 13.8 billion, and all these new devices will increase the need to be always connected to a myriad of Internet content and applications.

With the rapid development of Mobile Internet, consumers have become savvy when choosing their favorite smart devices. The more informed buying habits of consumers has led smart device companies to compete fiercely to widen their distribution channels. These smart devices must have always-on connectivity in order to be “smart” and to relay information from sensor to cloud based applications. This market competition has led to the establishment of several players such as XiaoMi, Huawei, Tesla, Amazon Echo, GoPro, or DJI. They compete not only in cost-effectiveness and quality, but also in the best user experience and application eco-system. Other than smartphones, most smart devices such as smart watches or smart mirrors used to rely on local WiFi or Bluetooth for connectivity, but with the growing appetite for more always-on services and better experiences, those connectivity options are no longer sufficient. Recently, Apple's new iWatch launched with its own eSIM, allowing users to have one-click video calls without the need to rely on Bluetooth from a nearby phone, greatly improving the user experience, and making consumers always accessible. This sets the trend for the second generation of smart devices where having their own independent, always-on global connection is a must.

SIMO Corporation's revolutionary virtual eSIM™ technology has been developed and used for over 10 years and has many worldwide patent, with a total of more than 100 million users relying on its global connectivity service platform. The virtual eSIM™ service eliminates the barrier for OEMs to integrate connectivity into their devices by removing any physical SIM card. Through a software SDK deployed into the main processor’s secured element, the device can obtain the fastest 4G network nearby based on device location, greatly reducing the total cost of any device OEM while leveraging the main processor’s greater computing resources to improve overall connectivity, without compromising security.

Ludovic Lassauce, CEO of SIMO Corporation's IoT & B2B division, said: "I am glad to join SIMO Corporation to offer the best services to these OEMs and create an ultra-connected society in which billions of intelligent Internet of Things devices can be always connected to improve our daily life thanks to our powerful virtual eSIM™ service."

Lassauce led Tata Communications’ mobile and Internet of Things business in the Asia-Pacific region, making it the fastest growing business for Tata Communications. Prior to joining Tata Communications, he served as the general manager for IoT in Singapore Power, the state grid company from 2015 to 2017, creating various smart building solutions. From 2012 to 2015, he led the product business development of Ericsson DCP business unit and created the multidomestic eSIM solution for the Global M2M Association (GMA) and the Bridge Alliance. Prior to that, he was responsible for the international business development of Jasper Wireless, one of the first IoT platform company in the world, later acquired by Cisco for USD $1.4b.

"We believe that Mr. Lassauce, who has rich experience in the IoT and Telecom sector, is best positioned to lead SIMO Corporation’s next 100 million users in the IoT business. He will lead SIMO Corporation through fast transformation from global WiFi to enable millions of IoT devices to take advantage of our virtual eSIM™ platform, realizing the mutual benefits and win-win for end users, equipment manufacturers, operators, and Internet companies,” said Jing Liu, CEO of SIMO Corporation.

SIMO Corporation based in the Silicon Valley with offices throughout Europe and Asia, is a leading Platform-as-a-Service company providing its leading Virtual eSIM™ technologies and services to users around the world. Its platform enables mobile terminals such as smartphones, personal WiFi hotspots, laptops, cars, and any other IoT devices to access 4G local data seamlessly without the need of a physical SIM card or be hindered with expensive data costs. Its platform currently covers over 130 countries across more than 200 carrier networks, bringing network data access via a software SDK which can be integrated into any MediaTek or Qualcomm modem chipsets. SIMO Corporation has raised over $50M USD and recently closed its series C round backed by leading global ventures and strategic investors.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190731006139/en/

Contact
Media:
Meredith Valentine
meredith@skyroam.co 
Marketing@skyroam.co 
www.skyroam.com 
www.simowireless.com

Source : SIMO Corporation

--BERNAMA

@BACTLAB(TM), BACTERIAL COLONY-COUNTING SERVICE, NOW AVAILABLE GLOBALLY

TOKYO, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- Nissui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., based in Tokyo, is pleased to announce that @BactLAB(TM), an application that uses Amazon Web Service (AWS) Cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enable quick and easy counting of bacterial colonies, is now available to overseas users of CompactDry(TM). The launch of this application is part of the company's strategy of active investment in areas of new growth for the purpose of contributing to the development of overseas markets and quality control processes in relation to food hygiene.

(Logo1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M105074/201907319276/_prw_PI1fl_1Mft9204.jpg)

(Logo2: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201907319276-O2-u1982f9w)

Since August 2018, a limited number of Nissui Pharmaceutical's overseas customers have been testing and using @BactLAB(TM), a colony counter application developed exclusively for CompactDry(TM), an easy-to-use medium for measuring bacteria count and also the company's most important product for overseas customers. During this phase, it made several improvements to the application, such as faster counting of colonies, collecting and utilizing AI learning data, new convenience features and additional functions, all of which are now included in the released service.

@BactLAB(TM) official website: https://www.nissui-pharm.co.jp/english/products/global/bactlab/

Application available at: Google Play / Apple Store / Amazon Appstore / Online Service

(Images1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201907319276-O3-TipIpw4F)

@BactLAB(TM) Service Overview

-Auto count with global cloud access, available on multiple devices (PC / Android / iPhone)
-Cloud storage function of counted data -Exportable reports (in .csv file or .jpg file format)
-Chat Bot support on the official website
* This service is an application designed exclusively for CompactDry(TM) customers.
* A Wi-Fi environment is recommended when using the smartphone app.
* Depending on the target image, there may be a counting error of up to 8%.
* A colony count result of "0" does not indicate a negative result.
* Nissui Pharmaceutical takes no responsibility for the analysis results provided by this service.

(Images2: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M105074/201907319276/_prw_PI4fl_D1wtD48F.png)

* Google, Google Play, Android and other such marks are trademarks of Google Inc.
* Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the USA and other countries. App Store, AppleCare and iCloud are service marks of Apple Inc. (TM) and (R) Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
* Amazon and Amazon Web Service are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

SOURCE: Nissui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

--BERNAMA

Ingredion Incorporated reports Q2 2019 results

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Ingredion Incorporated, a global ingredient solutions provider to diversified industries, has reported its results for the second quarter 2019.

Second quarter and year-to-date net sales were down from the year-ago period, driven by unfavourable foreign currency impacts and planned Stockton HFCS as well as industrial starch volume shed.

At June 30, total debt and cash and short-term investments were US$2.1 billion and US$301 million, respectively, versus US$2.1 billion and US$334 million, respectively, at December 31, 2018. (US$1=RM4.15)

The decrease was primarily due to the timing of changes in working capital and recent acquisitions and investments.

Meanwhile, net financing costs were US$16 million, making US$9 million lower in the second quarter from the year-ago period which resulted from foreign exchange gains lapping losses.

Reported and adjusted effective tax rates for the quarter were each 29.6 per cent compared to 31.4 per cent and 30.5 per cent, respectively, from the year-ago period.

The decrease resulted from the relative lower valuation of the Mexican peso impacting the US dollar denominated balances in Mexico. This was partially offset by a change in earnings mix and other factors.

The company recorded US$156 million for capital expenditures, down US$4 million from the year-ago period.

More details on the results at https://www.ingredionincorporated.com

-- BERNAMA

Sanofi records solid growth in Q2 with net sales Euro 8,628 million

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Sanofi has delivered solid growth in Q2 2019 driven by Sanofi Genzyme, Sanofi Pasteur and Emerging Markets with net sales of €8,628 million, an increase of 5.5 per cent on a reported basis. (€1 = RM4.59)

The company has reported that Sanofi Genzyme sales were up 21.8 per cent due to the strong launch performance of Dupixent®, while vaccine sales increased 24.7 per cent, mainly reflecting the recovery and growth of Pentaxim® in China and low basis for comparison.

Its business net income in the same quarter also recorded an increase of 5.3 per cent to €1,641 million, according to a statement.

“Our increased focus in R&D delivered important results with several positive data read-outs and the achievement of regulatory milestones,” said Sanofi chief executive officer, Olivier Brandicourt.

http://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1751664

GTARCADE'S HUNGER HEROES GAMING MARATHON IS HERE

Gamers are ready, set and go-ing to share a lot of meals in aid of the World Food Programme

SHANGHAI, July 29 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- YOOZOO Games is limbering up for an epic gaming marathon next month, as gamers all over the world get ready to turn their on-screen efforts into meals; all in support of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) fight against hunger in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Gaming fans will get to enjoy exclusive gameplay features and events during the week-long initiative; by joining in they will be helping to raise crucial funding for the World Food Programme. The premise is simple: the more you play, the more YOOZOO donates. #GTarcadeHungerHeroes is a call from GTarcade to experience, to share and to make more people aware of the existence of hunger — participating in fun, charitable activities that will aid WFP in their mission to reach a world with zero hunger.

YOOZOO Games said “For 10 years we’ve been incredibly fortunate to bring simple joy to millions of people around the world, through video games. The support we’ve received from our loyal fans has allowed us to support a variety of important causes. This year, we want to push the boundaries even further and help provide urgent support to those who truly need it the most.”

For the GTarcade marathon, YOOZOO has set up a team in the World Food Programme app, ShareTheMeal. All funds raised in the #GTarcade team will go towards operations supported by the ShareTheMeal app.

Check out the trailer for the gaming marathon here: https://youtu.be/15x-C39V0M0

There are three ways that you can get involved with GTarcade’s Hunger Heroes event and help raise money in the fight against hunger:

1) Tweet a picture of your smile meal with the hashtag #GTarcadeHungerHeroes. For every tweet you send, YOOZOO games will donate one meal ($0.50) to WFP.

2) Join in the GTarcade gaming marathon. From August 12th to 18th, for every hour of livestream play YOOZOO Games will donate one meal to the WFP. As an added ‘marathon bonus’ — 2 hours of livestream play will be also be rewarded with $10 in-game coins, while over 12 hours will yield $100 dollars’ worth of in-game coins.

3) Get exclusive in-game features by joining the Hunger Heroes Gaming Marathon. Collect four in-game treasure chests or wings, which can be exchanged for one meal donation to the World Food Programme. Players will then get to see their favourite characters turning those items into meals in the #GTarcade team in ShareTheMeal.

For more details about the event visit the official page here: https://pact.gtarcade.com/en/hungerHeroes.html?m

Join in with the conversation on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #GTarcadeHungerHeroes
Join the gaming marathon on GTarcade: https://www.gtarcade.com/ 
Join the YOOZOO ShareTheMeal team here: https://bit.ly/2JMuWSw

About YOOZOO Games

YOOZOO Games is a global entertainment company specializing in game development and distribution. The company is headquartered in Shanghai with offices in London, Berlin, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other major cities. Since its founding in 2009, YOOZOO has launched a multitude of highly successful products such as Legacy of Discord – Furious Wings and League of Angels, and has forged a strong global distribution network.

Official Site http://www.yoozoo.com/

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/52016370/en

Contacts

Sean Young
Overseas PR Manager at YOOZOO Games
SeanAY@yoozoo.com

Source: YOOZOO Games

--BERNAMA