NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS SUPPORTS RECOMMENDATIONS OF TCFD

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) -- Nippon Express Holdings Inc has recently expressed its support for the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB).

According to a statement, the NX Group has identified climate change initiatives as one of the key issues (materialities) to be addressed in realising its long-term vision of becoming ‘a logistics company with a strong presence in the global market’.

In addition, it is working to reduce CO2 emissions in its own business operations as well as creating products and services that help customers cut their CO2 emissions.

The NX Group will be utilising the TCFD's recommendations henceforth to analyse the risks and opportunities presented by climate change to its business, evaluate their financial impacts, and disclose relevant information.

The NX Group is scheduled to make the first such disclosure following endorsement of the recommendations in its integrated report to be issued this fiscal year (in June 2022).

TCFD is an international initiative established by the FSB in 2015 to encourage companies to disclose information on the financial impact of climate change risks and opportunities on their businesses.

The TCFD recommends assessing the financial impacts of climate change risks and opportunities on management and disclosing information on ‘governance’, ‘strategies’, ‘risk management’, and ‘indicators and targets’.

The NX Group will continue practising sustainable management from a long-term perspective to help realise a sustainable society by tackling climate change.

More details at https://www.nipponexpress.com/

-- BERNAMA

MARY KAY INC. COLLABORATES WITH EUROPEAN PARTNERS TO SUPPORT NATIVE OYSTER RESTORATION PROJECTS

 

DALLAS, May 20 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Oyster reefs benefit humans and the environment through a suite of ecosystem services. A single oyster can filter up to 240 liters of water a day, resulting in increased water quality and clarity and support a unique and highly diverse community of fish and invertebrate marine species. At the same time, oyster reefs are the world’s most threatened marine habitat, with an estimated 85 percent loss globally.
 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220519005168/en/

 

In celebration of World Endangered Species Day and International Day for Biological Diversity, Mary Kay Inc., a global leader in corporate sustainability, announced its collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and European partners to support native oyster restoration projects in the UK and continental Europe.

TNC helped to launch the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA), a European network made up of governmental agencies, scientists, NGOs, oyster growers, and private enterprises. The teams are collaborating on the restoration of the native European flat oyster habitat so it once again supports the biodiversity that relies on it and helps improve water quality.

“Oyster reefs are some of the best investments we can make in conserving natural systems,” said Dr. Elizabeth McLeod, who leads on reef conservation for TNC’s Global Reef Program. “Healthy oyster populations ensure cleaner water and help shield coastal areas and the people who live there from the impacts of climate change. With support from funders like Mary Kay, TNC can restore and protect these important systems for the long term.” 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43207

ISG: Digitisation drives ServiceNow growth in Singapore, Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- Many enterprises in Singapore and Malaysia are aggressively investing in ServiceNow solutions to navigate changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the trend toward digital transformation, according to a new research report published by Information Services Group (ISG).

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners report for Singapore and Malaysia finds the growth of ServiceNow in 2021 was even faster in Asia than on a global basis.

In Singapore and Malaysia, the services ecosystem surrounding ServiceNow grew substantially, with providers investing heavily in people and processes to better serve clients, according to a statement.

“The pandemic led many companies in Singapore and Malaysia to adopt digital platforms like ServiceNow for better business performance. Others that waited too long, or haven’t been able to change, may be left behind,” said Deepraj Emmanuel, director, ISG Asia.

Especially in Singapore, enterprises are engaging with ServiceNow ecosystem partners to support digital transformation, the report says. To achieve tangible, repeatable business results, they need consistent teams of ServiceNow experts and proven, flexible implementation methods.

The adoption of ServiceNow in Singapore and Malaysia reflects the local economy, ISG says. Local and multinational manufacturers lead the pack, along with banking, financial services and telecommunications companies.

The report also explores other aspects of the ServiceNow ecosystem in the region, including the growth of local and niche service providers and the challenge of consistently delivering two major ServiceNow upgrades every year.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners report for Singapore and Malaysia evaluates the capabilities of 23 providers across three quadrants: ServiceNow Consulting Services, ServiceNow Implementation and Integration Services and ServiceNow Managed Services Providers.

The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant and Infosys as Leaders in all three quadrants. It names Deloitte, HCL and Wipro as Leaders in two quadrants each and EY, IBM, KPMG and TCS as Leaders in one quadrant each.

More details at www.isg-one.com.

-- BERNAMA

Hearables' Shipments to Exceed 200 Million Globally by 2024 - Juniper Research

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- A new study by Juniper Research has found hearables shipments will exceed 200 million units by 2024, up from 165 million in 2022; representing total growth of 30 per cent over the next two years.

According to a statement, the report identified assistive and healthcare-focused hearables segments, typified by Nuheara’s IQbuds and Bose’s SoundControl Hearing Aids, as key to this growth.

These devices facilitate proactive management of hearing loss and other medical conditions; enabling long-term care cost savings compared to traditional therapies. As such, it anticipates that these segments will comprise 18 per cent of hearables’ shipments by 2024, compared to 12 per cent in 2021.

The new research, Hearables: Emerging Opportunities, Competitor Leaderboard & Market Forecasts 2022-2026, also highlighted that growing implementation of ‘right to repair’ legislation has potential to limit future hearables shipments.

To overcome this, it recommends vendors leverage the growing capabilities of digital voice assistants to address emerging hearables use cases, including industrial monitoring, and productivity enhancement, with the goal of expanding revenue streams and capturing early market share.

The report forecasts the US and Germany will grow to account for 50 per cent of total hardware revenue from emerging hearables use cases by 2024. It highlighted high levels of industrial digitalisation, allied with widespread connectivity and ubiquitous consumer devices, as key to these countries’ positions as leaders.

The new report also identified Apple as leading the hearables market using the Juniper Research Competitor Leaderboard, which provides an independent assessment of hearables vendors’ market standing.

Research author Adam Wears explained: “Our research anticipates sustainability initiatives will impact future hearables shipments, meaning vendors must target product comprehensiveness, rather than specificity, to attract consumers.”

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector; providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

-- BERNAMA

MAWI ISWAB MICROBIOME-EL ENABLES PRIME DISCOVERIES' DEVELOPMENT OF COVIDDETECT™

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Mawi DNA Technologies (Mawi), a biotechnology company focusing on the development of innovative technologies for biosampling, announced that Prime Discoveries has successfully developed CovidDetect™, a rapid isothermal amplification diagnostic assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2.

Without the need for RNA extraction and purification, the sample result occurs in less than 30 minutes, according to a statement.

The assay uses Mawi’s new iSWAB Microbiome-EL (Extraction-Less) sample collection technology. This allows RNA release from the sample and maintains stability, protecting it from degradation and allowing room temperature storage and transport.

Chief Science Officer at Prime Discoveries, Arun Manoharan, Ph.D. said: “Our work with COVID has shown stable performance of the Mawi iSWAB Microbiome-EL for hundreds of clinical samples with similar or superior performance to RT-PCR solutions.

“Our partnership with Mawi enables Prime Discoveries to develop room temperature sampling with Extraction-Less capabilities for our rapid diagnostic solutions in many areas. These include influenza, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas, HBV, HCV, HPV, TB, herpes, syphilis, etc. 

Prime Discoveries recently received CE IVD marking for CovidDetect™ and plans to pursue FDA 510K approval soon.

Clinical results from Prime CovidDetect™ have been peer reviewed and recently published in PLOS ONE under ‘A Rapid, Specific, Extraction-Less, and Cost-Effective RT-LAMP Test for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Clinical Specimens’.

The CE marking allows deployment of a solution to countries in Africa and Asia where rapid, inexpensive diagnostics for various infections with minimal technical expertise and equipment infrastructure is highly required.

Prime CovidDetect™ leverages Mawi’s unique iSWAB Microbiome-EL sample collection buffer with Prime Discoveries’ patented Loop AMPlification (LAMP) technology. This allows isothermal nucleic acid amplification removing the need for expensive thermal cycling equipment required for PCR. 

Founded in 2013, Mawi DNA Technologies has developed and commercialised the iSWAB technology, an innovative system for collection of biosamples.

More details at http://www.mawidna.com.

-- BERNAMA

DIGITAL WALLETS TRANSACTION VALUE EXCEEDS US$12 TRILLION IN 2026 - JUNIPER RESEARCH

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- A new study from Juniper Research has found the value of digital wallet transactions will exceed US$12 trillion in 2026, from US$7.5 trillion in 2022. (US$1 = RM4.350)

To capitalise on this substantial growth, the research predicts leading digital payment vendors will diversify their payment products to include new solutions, such as buy-now-pay-later and cryptocurrencies.

Digital wallets are software-based systems that securely store users’ payment information for many payment methods in one location.

The new research, Digital Wallets: Key Opportunities, Vendor Analysis and Market Forecasts 2022-2026, found increasing merchant acceptance of digital wallet methods at eCommerce checkouts has been a driving force behind enabling further digital wallets use.

It predicts APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that connect financial institutions to local retailers will be key to the international growth of digital wallets usage for large, cross-border eCommerce merchants.

According to a statement, the research also recommends that digital wallet vendors look to offer value-added services, such as loyalty rewards and credit, to diversify their revenue streams; capitalising on a highly active user base.

Juniper Research’s Competitor Leaderboard for the digital wallets market has identified the five leading market vendors as follows: 1.PayPal; 2.Alipay; 3.WeChat Pay; 4.Apple Pay; 5.Google Pay.

Juniper Research’s Competitor Leaderboard provides an independent assessment of the market standing of the leading digital wallets players. It includes a robust and transparent assessment methodology, including heatmap analysis and a thorough explanation of each company’s market position.

The Leaderboard tool assesses each vendor’s capacity, capability, and products. This analysis includes assessing the size of their operations, financial performance and the sophistication of their digital wallets offerings.

-- BERNAMA

Juniper Research: Global regtech spend exceeds US$204 billion by 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- A new study from Juniper Research has found that global regtech spend will exceed US$204 billion by 2026; accounting for over 50 per cent of all regulatory compliance spend for the first time. (US$1 = RM4.283)

According to a statement, this spend will grow from US$68 billion in 2022; representing growth of over 200 per cent over the next four years.

The report identified the integration of regtech services with BaaS (Banking-as-a-Service) models as key to realising this future market growth.

The new research, Regtech: Emerging Trends, Regulatory Impact & Market Forecasts 2022‑2026, predicts that BaaS models, which include outsourcing regtech services such as digital onboarding, will be key in accelerating AI-based automation for online document verification and KYC (Know Your Customer) processes.

AI-powered onboarding enables financial institutions to benefit from real-time progress reporting and automation, which help meet rising client expectations and reduce compliance cost.

According to the research, 26 per cent of digital onboarding processes in the banking market will use AI systems by 2026, compared to just eight per cent in 2022.

Beyond digital onboarding, the report suggests that regtech will leverage BaaS models to swiftly expand the use of AI in banking for more comprehensive tasks, including fraud detection and mitigation.

Research author Harshada Thok explains: “Whilst the current benefits of AI are clear to regtech vendors, the immediate focus must be on ensuring the algorithms are fed the most relevant data to maximise their efficiency in verifying digital identities and future use cases. 

“In turn, this will provide a differentiation point for regtech vendors in an increasingly competitive market.”

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector; providing consultancy, analyst reports, and industry commentary.

-- BERNAMA