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One BPI: BPI seeks merger with thrift bank subsidiary

In a bid to create One BPI, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has announced that it will merge with BPI Family Savings Bank (BFSB).

In a bid to create One BPI, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has announced on Jan. 20 that it will merge with BPI Family Savings Bank (BFSB). The merger with its wholly owned thrift bank subsidiary, which is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, will see BPI as the surviving entity.

“This merger has the best interests of our customers and employees in mind. As One BPI, our 8.5 million customers will be able to enjoy the full suite of the BPI group’s products, via all our digital and physical channels. Similarly, as One BPI, our employees will have the ability to work across a larger, more varied bank, while having continuity of tenure and job level,” said BPI President and CEO and BFSB Chairman Cezar P. Consing in a press statement.

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Entertainment

‘Space Sweepers’ teases epic space adventure on Netflix

Are you ready to get swept away by Netflix’s upcoming outer space sci-fi blockbuster "Space Sweepers" starring Song Joong Ki and Kim Tae Ri? Image credit: Netflix
Image credit: Netflix

Are you ready to get swept away by Netflix’s upcoming outer space sci-fi blockbuster “Space Sweepers” starring Song Joong Ki and Kim Tae Ri?

Directed by Jo Sung Hee of “A Werewolf Boy” and “Phantom Detective”, this South Korean sci-fi film also stars Jin Sun Kyu and Yoo Hai Jin. The main trailer reveals that Earth has become a bleak planet in 2092 and will soon be uninhabitable. Thus, a pristine habitat was created in space for UTS citizens.

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A Life Less Analog, Entertainment

Jennie of BLACKPINK conquers YouTube on birthday

Technology column header

Want to know just how popular Jennie of BLACKPINK is? She celebrated her 25th birthday on Jan. 16 with two impressive YouTube milestones.

On Jan. 15, Jennie Kim became the first Korean female solo artist to have a music video that reached 600 million views on YouTube, for her debut solo single “Solo”. Then, on her birthday itself, she surprised fans with the launch of her own YouTube channel, Jennierubyjane Official, which gained a million subscribers in less than a day and already has 3.3 million subscribers as of this writing. Meaning she earned Silver and Gold Play buttons from YouTube in just one day.

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Gaming

Training esports athletes: PESO accredits YEP

To institutionalize the training of esports athletes, the Pilipinas E-Sports Organization has accredited the Youth Esports Program. Image credit: Mineski
Image credit: Mineski

The future is bright for esports in the Philippines. To institutionalize the training of the country’s future esports athletes, the Pilipinas E-Sports Organization (PESO) has officially accredited Mineski Philippines‘ Youth Esports Program (YEP).

“The Philippines has a vast pool of talent that has the potential to succeed in esports. The partnership between PESO and YEP will put a grassroots program in place that nurtures young talent and engages stakeholders to drive the growth of esports in the country. With the right infrastructure and programs in place, we hope that more young Filipinos will see the potential of esports, from opportunities to participate in high-level competition and cultivate the discipline of an athlete to considering pursuing a career within the large, growing ecosystem of the esports industry,” said PESO Board Member and Mineski Global CEO Ronald Robins in a press statement.

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Technology

AI for financial inclusion: CIBI partners with ADVANCE.AI

Aiming to leverage the power of AI for financial inclusion, CIBI Information Inc. has signed a strategic partnership with ADVANCE.AI. Image credit: ADVANCE.AI
CIBI President and CEO Marlo R. Cruz says the partnership will boost financial inclusion in the Philippines. Image credit: ADVANCE.AI

Aiming to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) for financial inclusion, Philippine credit bureau agency CIBI Information Inc. (CIBI) has signed a strategic partnership with Singapore-headquartered AI and big data company ADVANCE.AI.

“We’re truly excited by this partnership. Our mission has always been to boost financial services access and inclusion among unbanked and underbanked individuals and businesses in the Philippines. This partnership will pair ADVANCE.AI’s industry-leading AI and risk management solutions, including its identity verification and anti-fraud products, with our own data capabilities so we can grow our range and depth of credit reporting and information services in the country,” said CIBI President and CEO Marlo R. Cruz in a press statement.

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Gaming

CES 2021: New Legion gaming laptops unleashed

Gamers rejoice! Lenovo is going all out, unveiling four new models in its acclaimed Legion lineup of gaming laptops at CES 2021. Image credit: Lenovo
Image credit: Lenovo

Gamers rejoice! Lenovo is going all out, unveiling four new models in its acclaimed Legion lineup of gaming laptops at CES 2021, including the world’s first 16″ QHD 16:10 gaming laptops, the Legion 7 (16” AMD) and Legion 5 Pro (16” AMD).

The new flagship Legion 7 laptop is clad in aerospace-grade aluminum. It sports the latest mobile processors for PC gamers — up to the latest AMD Ryzen 9 5900H Mobile Processors and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPUs.

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2 Min Reading
A Life Less Analog, Entertainment

iQIYI Chinese streaming service truly going global

Technology column header

For some time now, I’ve been consuming more Asian content, which led me to discovering the iQIYI Chinese streaming service owned by Baidu.

It was my love for BLACKPINK that put iQIYI on my radar, because my bias Lisa joined China’s idol survival program “Youth With You” as dance mentor during the second season of this iQIYI original series. With its treasure trove of Korean and Chinese dramas, movies, variety shows, and anime, the streaming site quickly became a favorite of mine.

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2 Min Reading
Gaming

Free Fire x One-Punch Man crossover event announced

The Free Fire x One-Punch Man crossover event will unite one of the world’s most popular mobile games with its most powerful hero. Image credit: Garena
Image credit: Garena

What happens when you unite one of the world’s most popular mobile games with its most powerful hero? We’ll find out in Garena’s Free Fire x One-Punch Man crossover event.

Dubbed as “The Hero Trial”​, the mobile battle royale’s first crossover event for 2021 will immerse players in a Free Fire universe filled with disaster and chaos — one crying out for heroes to come to the fore. Under the leadership of “One-Punch Man” heroes Saitama and Genos, players will be challenged to unleash their inner power and become heroes themselves.

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3 Min Reading
Technology

YouTrip partners with Visa for SEA expansion

YouTrip has announced a six-year partnership with Visa to accelerate its regional expansion, starting with Malaysia and the Philippines. Image credit: YouTrip
Image credit: YouTrip

YouTrip, Singapore’s leading multi-currency mobile wallet, has announced a six-year partnership with Visa to accelerate its expansion into the rest of Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia and the Philippines.

“Our partnership with Visa will enable our continued growth to drive the next generation of innovation of cross-border payments. We are incredibly excited for the opportunities ahead to serve millions of consumers in Southeast Asia and empower them with the solutions they deserve,” said YouTrip Co-Founder and CEO Caecilia Chu in a press statement.

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2 Min Reading
Entertainment

‘Space Sweepers’ Korean sci-fi film coming to Netflix

"Space Sweepers," South Korea's first big-budget action epic set in space, will have its world premiere on Netflix on Feb. 5. Image credit: Netflix
Image credit: Netflix

Instead of being shown in movie theaters, “Space Sweepers,” South Korea’s first big-budget action epic set in space, will have its world premiere on Netflix on Feb. 5.

Set in 2092, “Space Sweepers” tells the story of Spaceship Victory — one of the many ships that live off salvaging space debris. Crewed with a genius space pilot Taeho (Song Joong Ki), a mysterious ex-space pirate Captain Jang (Kim Tae Ri), a spaceship engineer Tiger Park (Jin Sun Kyu), and a reprogrammed military robot Bubs (Yoo Hai Jin), Spaceship Victory surpasses all other space sweepers.

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2 Min Reading
Technology

GCash in 2020: Mobile wallet catalyzes digital economy

The massive growth of GCash in 2020 shows how Filipinos have embraced digital finance and made the mobile wallet part of their new normal. Image credit: Globe Telecom
Image credit: Globe Telecom

The massive growth of GCash in 2020 shows how Filipinos have embraced digital finance and made the mobile wallet part of their new normal.

“GCash has played an integral role in keeping not only the economy going, but keeping Filipinos safe and sane during the pandemic. We’ve seen not only heads of households and young adults use the GCash app for their financial lifestyle, but even consumers that advocate a greener Philippines, in maximizing what our platform has to offer,” said GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon in a press statement.

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