R3 Head of APAC Amit Ghosh touts the benefits of using blockchain technology for the shipping industry. Image credit: R3
Proving that blockchain can be a gamechanger for global shipping, enterprise software firm R3 has announced a partnership with Tramés and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
“When it comes to paper-based documents such as bill of lading, blockchain technology is a perfect fit as it eliminates the need for an intermediary or third party due to its decentralized nature — allowing peers on the network to transact directly with each other,” R3 Head of APAC Amit Ghosh told Digital Life Asia.
Save the Children, which is celebrating its 40th year in the Philippines, has named actress Liza Soberano as its newest ambassador.
The world’s leading independent children’s organization, Save the Children aims to give children a good start in life, protect them from violence and any other damage, and help them learn crucial skills. Soberano is known for using her social media platforms to support women and children’s rights, including joining forces with a senator to fight the online sexual exploitation of children.
If you love streaming but find it hard to decide what to watch, stop scrolling and just let Netflix Play Something for you.
That’s what Netflix Director of Product Innovation Cameron Johnson wants you to do, as he announced the launch of the streaming giant’s new Play Something feature in a blog post. Just hit the button, and Netflix will instantly take you to a series or film it knows you’ll love based on what you’ve previously watched.
While fintech startups have disrupted the banking industry, the COVID-19 crisis will see traditional banks, neobanks, and fintechs converging and collaborating to address the needs of customers.
“Fintechs, while regulated, almost don’t have any baggage to begin with. This is where they kind of flew up front to provide the experience profile, to provide the experience management for the market. But at the same time, they needed to connect back with systems so that the customer that they are serving has an end-to-end experience. And this is where I think the new age digibanks, the new age fintechs, and the heritage banks have a real opportunity to now leverage technology and leverage partnerships,” Aju Murjani, IBM Public Cloud Executive, Sales, IBM Asia Pacific, told Digital Life Asia.
A Philippine survey on the financial impact of COVID-19 on consumers shows that 31% of Filipinos have cancelled or reduced digital services due to financial woes. This was among the budget changes reported by respondents, according to the Consumer Pulse study conducted by TransUnion. The research found that 93% of Filipinos surveyed have seen their household income negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The survey did not specify the digital services. However, examples of wireless data, cable TV, and internet were provided in the survey, so at least one of these digital services has been cancelled or reduced by respondents,” TransUnion Philippines President and CEO Pia Arellano told Digital Life Asia.
Art investor views ‘Girl with a Balloon’, a distinctive screen print by Banksy. Image credit: HOFA Gallery
If there is one thing you should know about NFT art, it’s this: “This isn’t a fad. This is gonna go on for a lot longer.”
That’s what Alex Elias, Head of Digital Art of London-based HOFA Gallery and digital arts investment platform ARTCELS, told Digital Life Asia during a virtual preview of the new blue-chip art portfolio “Millennials” for the media on April 22. The portfolio, which includes pieces by coveted artists such as Banksy, Nina Chanel Abney, Jonas Wood, Josh Sperling, and Yoshimoto Nara, is available to investors as share-based ownership using NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which are currently revolutionizing the gaming and collectibles space — including helping Filipino gamers put food on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New BPI president and CEO Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco wants to cement BPI’s position as the undisputed leader in the Philippine digital banking space. Image credit: BPI
Quoting Charles Dickens, BPI Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” for the bank in 2020. And as the oldest bank in the Philippines — and in Southeast Asia — formally welcomed its new president and CEO Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco on April 22 after its board meeting, BPI emphasized the evolving role of banks as they navigate the changing digital landscape and the preferences of consumers across different generations and channels.
“In the old days, people wanted to see the cash in the vault. Today, you don’t see the cash in the vault. You know your money’s there, but it’s in data form. And therefore going forward, the successful banks are the ones with the name that people can trust that the data is safeguarded, that the data can be used by themselves, and that the cost of using is actually cheap or actually positive because their data grows, or their wealth grows. And that’s why people love the concept of digital banks. I think there will be people who will come into the Philippines trying to set up a digital bank, but they will always be at a disadvantage to BPI which has the name and the physical infrastructure to attract the customers,” Limcaoco said.
As we celebrate Earth Day 2021 today, let us remember that while it’s true that the system needs to change, this doesn’t mean that our personal actions are no longer important.
Like nature and nurture, collective and individual action go hand in hand. Both are important. Both are needed. And are, in fact, interconnected. As individuals, the choices we make can have an impact on the decisions of others, and together we can change the world. Those who belittle our individual efforts to take climate action and live more sustainably, who say it’s the whole system that has to change and that we can’t make much of a difference as a person, probably just want us to despair and not even bother to attempt to change the world. Maybe because they don’t want the status quo to change.
Genshin Impact publisher miHoYo is bringing together Eren Yeager, Viktor Nikiforov, Tobio Kageyama, and Lelouch vi Britannia in its new game, Tears of Themis. Well, the Japanese voice actors behind these anime characters, at least.
The Chinese game developer and animation studio has announced that interested players can sign up from April 19-May 6 for the Tears of Themisclosed beta, which kicks off on May 8. As part of the announcement, miHoYo also released a trailer showcasing the game’s Japanese dub, featuring top Japanese voice actors Kaji Yuki (Eren Jaeger in “Attack on Titan” and Shoto Todoroki in “My Hero Academia”, Suwabe Junichi (Victor Nikiforov in “Yuri!!! on ICE” and Shōta Aizawa/Eraser Head in “My Hero Academia”), Ishikawa Kaito (Tobio Kageyama in “Haikyuu!!” and Genos in “One-Punch Man”), and Fukuyama Jun (Lelouch vi Britannia in “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” and Koro-sensei in “Assassination Classroom”).
With the BTS Meal, you can have fries with your K-pop. As part of a global partnership between McDonald’s and BIGHIT MUSIC, the label of BTS, McDonald’s Philippines has announced that the BTS Meal will arrive in the Philippines on June 18.
So what’s a BTS Meal? The hugely popular K-pop boy band’s signature order includes a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, medium World Famous Fries, medium Coca-Cola, and Sweet Chili and Cajun dipping sauces inspired by popular recipes from McDonald’s South Korea. The BTS Meal, which will launch in the US on May 26, will be available on different dates depending on the country. For instance, South Korea will get it on May 27. Read on to find out when it will arrive in your country.
With 77% of Filipino consumers now identifying themselves as “digitally curious” or “digital explorers”, improving digital literacy is a must to address their expectations of having more digital interactions with the government.
“This shifting consumption pattern and openness to frontier technologies have led to more Filipinos being willing to engage with organizations digitally. Of which, close to half of Filipinos (46%) have indicated that they are happy to keep interacting with the government digitally, putting them ahead of other Southeast Asian counterparts surveyed — Malaysia (45%), Indonesia (29%), and Thailand (30%) — but slightly behind Singapore (60%),” VMware Philippines Country Manager Walter So told Digital Life Asia.
To inspire vaccine confidence worldwide and help get COVID-19 vaccines to everyone, international advocacy organization Global Citizen has announced VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World on May 8 hosted by Selena Gomez.
“I’m honored to be hosting VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World. This is a historic moment to encourage people around the world to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them, call on world leaders to share vaccine doses equitably, and to bring people together for a night of music in a way that hasn’t felt possible in the past year. I can’t wait to be a part of it,” said Gomez in a press statement.
