According to reports on Bloomberg, Datuk Seri Mohammed Shazalli Ramly will resign as group chief executive officer of Telekom Malaysia.

However, no official statement has been released by Telekom Malaysia.

Shazalli joined Telekom Malaysia last year. Previously, he was Axiata Group’s regional chief executive officer for its Southeast Asia operations.

Maxis launches ONERetail, a comprehensive range of digital solutions comprising cloud-based point of sales, eCommerce and SMS Marketing for retail businesses to fully digitalise their businesses. It complements the existing mobile and fixed Internet solutions but removes the hassle of adopting solution from multiple providers through a single point of contact approach. Maxis is the first telco in Malaysia to offer a complete suite of digital solutions for the retail industry.

Shanti Jusnita Johari, Maxis Head of Enterprise says that although the technology is available, almost 70% of SMEs still don’t have an online presence. “Maxis ONERetail is an ideal proposition for business owners as it enables them to maximise the potential technology, improve their operational efficiency and stay relevant to their customers,” she adds.

Solutions under MaxisONERetail include eCommerce, Cloud POS, mPOS and eSMS. For eCommerce, businesses will get webstore customisation by a dedicated team of digital experts, sales performance insights and analytics dashboards as well as digital marketing services to boost online presence. CloudPOS allows businesses to view real time sales and inventory reports from a single online platform, develop sales and customer analytics. mPOS accepts card payments on the spot anytime, anywhere while eSMS reaches out to the right audience by centralising customer data collection and drive targeted foot traffic.

AirAsia BIG Loyalty marks its first step beyond travel deals through the launch of BIG Deals by Fave, a new feature on the AirAsia BIG Loyalty app. BIG Members will now be able to receive double the rewards, earning BIG Points and redeeming their favourite everyday deals using BIG Points while enjoying savings up to 95% off on the best travel and lifestyle deals by Fave.

BIG Deals by Fave allows over 3.6 million BIG Members in Malaysia to earn 1 BIG Point for every RM1 spent on lifestyle vouchers every day. They can also utilise their BIG Points to redeem BIG Deals vouchers, from food, beauty and activities to automobile services, travel and fitness, with popular brands like A&W, Healthland, Forever 21, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, Kenny Rogers Roasters and more offering discounts of up to 95% at over 3,700 outlets.

AirAsia BIG Loyalty Acting CEO Sereen Teoh says, “We have over 3.6 million BIG Members in Malaysia who have been tremendously loyal and supportive over the years. With BIG Deals in partnership with Fave, we can now doubly reward them not just through travelling, but all the time with amazing offers on the things they already love doing every day, all from the BIG Loyalty app.” By signing up and linking their BIG Member account to their Fave account before shopping, they will be able to earn 1 BIG Point for every RM1 they spend on Fave, which can be used to redeem AirAsia flights to amazing holidays across more than 130 destinations.

Fave founder Joel Neoh says, “This partnership with AirAsia BIG Loyalty will allow us to further enhance our mission of delivering everyday happiness and rewards to both BIG and Fave users. Whether they choose to go for a massage, buy their morning coffee or go for a short staycation, both Fave users and BIG Members can now earn BIG Points.”

Both BIG Loyalty and Fave apps are available on Google Play and the App Store.

CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad launches Takaful Mulia, a first-in-market Takaful policy specially designed for Muslims to benefit from coverage upon death or Total Permanent Disability (TPD), savings and benefits related to Islamic religious obligations such as waqf, zakat, fidyah/sadaqah, and hajj/umrah. Takaful Mulia also provides an additional 100% of sum assured for accidental death or TPD that occurred in a mosque or surau, and/or while performing the Hajj or Umrah. Takaful Mulia is the latest addition to CIMB Islamic’s suite of Takaful solutions developed exclusively for CIMB Islamic by its bancatakaful partner, Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad.

Rafe Haneef, CEO, Group Islamic Banking, CIMB Group says, “CIMB Islamic, in partnership with Sun Life Malaysia, has always focused on the best value proposition for our customers. Through innovative and compelling propositions such as this first-in-market Takaful Mulia, subscribers can fulfil their religious obligations, even upon death or total permanent disability. With CIMB Islamic and Sun Life Malaysia’s combined capabilities, customers can look forward to further innovative products that make takaful both functional and spiritually fulfilling as part of their financial planning journey based on Shariah principles.”

Muhammad Fikri Mohamad Rawi, CEO, Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad adds, “Charity is one of the few deeds in Islam that need not end upon a person’s demise. We are proud to have partnered with CIMB Islamic to offer this innovative Takaful Mulia which helps CIMB clients to not only leave something for their loved ones upon their demise, but also fulfil their religious obligations of waqf, zakat, and sadaqah. Takaful Mulia has definitely struck the right balance between protection, savings and spiritual fulfilment, setting a new benchmark in Malaysia’s takaful industry.”

Benefits of Takaful Mulia include Financial and Protection Benefits as well as spiritual benefits. Takaful Mulia is also offered as part of the recently launched CIMB F.I.R.S.T., a holistic financial planning proposition that is unique to each customer’s needs and life stage.

UD Trucks and Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd roll out the first-ever locally-assembled or complete knocked-down (CKD) medium-duty UD Croner truck from Segambut-based Tan Chong Motor Assemblies Sdn Bhd (TCMA) making Malaysia the first market in the world to assemble the CKD Croner and rolling it out successfully for UD Trucks.  

It follows two years after the successful rollout of the first locally-assembled heavy-duty UD Quester truck in 2016. As such, this is also the first UD Croner truck that is locally assembled for UD Trucks in Asia Pacific outside of Japan with a private distributor partner. The rollout of UD Croner from local assembly comes less than a year after the medium-duty truck was launched and unveiled in Malaysia in August last year.

Filip Van den Heede, Managing Director Hub Malaysia, UD Trucks says, “UD Croner is a versatile, reliable, safe and fuel-efficient medium-duty truck range that is developed with the Asian customers in mind. It is a truck range designed to deliver extra productivity and superior uptime as it combined the best of three worlds, which are UD Trucks’ Japanese heritage and craftsmanship, Volvo Group’s proven technologies and TCIE’s local resourcing, expertise and market reach.”   

Tan Keng Meng, Executive Director, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd says, “Our capability in producing complete knocked-down UD Croner trucks from our factory has further cemented Tan Chong Group’s competency in offering full range of services for the truck industry, with assembling being a highly key and strategic expertise, ever since we successfully lined-off the heavy-duty UD Quester in 2016. Our locally-assembled UD Croner trucks will not only continue to represent the hallmarks of what UD Trucks stands for, but it will also give operators all that is needed to work efficiently and effectively at an affordable price range.”

For this CKD Croner, TCIE will be rolling out 150 units this year comprising manual and auto transmission options for two models, namely Croner PKE and Croner LKE. Croner PKE caters for medium-heavy duty usage with a powerful 6-cylinder engine for regional and long haul, while Croner LKE is a multi-purpose model for in-city and city-to-city distribution focusing on transport efficiency.

According to Tan, the setting up of the assembly line with the investment of over RM1.5 million to produce locally-assembled heavy-duty UD Quester trucks two years ago was a strategic step on Tan Chong Group’s part to meet local market needs. It will also support the growth of Malaysia as an important complete knocked-down automotive market in the region. A further investment of RM4.5 million was recently made to expand the production capacity of TCMA to include CKD Croner, where part of the investment is used for expansion of assembly facilities including body and paint.

UD Trucks, on the other hand, contributed to enhancing the capabilities of local engineers by sharing technology know-how and hands-on approach in training, to enable efficient management of the expanded facility and to ensure a smooth roll-out of the locally-assembled UD Croner.

SAS, the global leader in analytics software and services, concludes the SAS FinTech Challenge 2017-2018 in Malaysia. Organized in partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and five partner banks – CIMB Bank, Hong Leong Bank, May Bank, Public Bank and RHB Bank, the competition sought to raise awareness and the adoption of fintech among young talent in Malaysia. A team from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation emerged as the winner for their innovation around digital loan applications for online retailers.

Andy Zook, vice president, SAS ASEAN says, “The FinTech Challenge has been an exciting journey for SAS. It is so rewarding to see our future talent pool empowered to solve the complex challenges of today, using advanced data-driven approaches that will define the analytics economy. The forward-looking ideas developed through this competition have been inspiring! Together with MDEC and our partner banks in Malaysia, we have unlocked future skills in fintech, while demonstrating how the financial services industry can harness advanced analytics to its greater advantage. This is yet another meaningful collaboration with the industry ecosystem that SAS is proud to lead.”

In line with Malaysia’s 2020 digital nation vision, 47% of the nation’s financial institutions are ready to embrace fintech and have placed it at the center of their growth strategy. Similarly, a recent survey by global recruitment firm Randstad showcases the need for innovation and talent as Malaysian banks digitize. Recognizing this evolution, SAS and MDEC partnered with Malaysia’s top local banks and gathered the country’s best academic minds to address current paint-points faced by the industry. The SAS FinTech Challenge received encouraging responses, with over 80 teams participating to develop innovative fintech business models that will enhance banking experiences.

The winning team from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation was awarded RM 50,000. Norhizam Kadir, Vice President of Growth Ecosystem Development of MDEC, says “We are uplifted by the innovation and hard work shown by all of the participating teams during the FinTech Challenge: the use of data analytics and creative critical thinking capabilities will be vital as we progress further into the digital economy. Challenges such as the SAS FinTech one serve to shine a spotlight on the talent in Malaysia.”

Teams from Universiti Tenaga Nasional and University of Nottingham Malaysia stood at second and third place respectively. All participating universities will have the opportunity for their projects to be implemented by the partner banks.

Nexstgo Company Limited will be licensed by VAIO Corporation to oversee the business in Asia. This license agreement between Hong Kong-based Nexstgo and the Japan-based VAIO Corporation will include manufacturing, sales and marketing as well as servicing of VAIO laptops under the VAIO trademark in the Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan markets.

Nexstgo CEO, Alex Chung says, “Nexstgo officially debuted at Computex Taipei 2017, and within a year, Nexstgo brands have successfully entered the markets of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, achieving great results. Right ahead of this year’s Computex, we are honored to be VAIO’s key partner in the Asian region, where we will participate in sales and marketing, in order to help VAIO regain its brand position in the laptop market.”

Ryosuke Akahane, Executive Vice President of VAIO Corporation says, “We are delighted to bring back the familiar VAIO brand to the hands of Asian customers thanks to Nexstgo. It has been 4 years since we spun off from Sony. Nexstgo is energetic and is strong in Research and Development capabilities.  What’s more, they understand the VAIO brand and the products very well and we see their efforts in capturing the commercial market through business-to-business (B2B) marketing. We are confident that Nexstgo will successfully re-introduce and expand the VAIO business in various Asian markets.”

Nexstgo will be launching the VAIO S11 and VAIO S13 in Hong Kong and Taiwan in July 2018, followed by a gradual roll-out to cities in the Asian region. The Japanese-made VAIO S series is equipped with VAIO TruePerformance, a technology-enhanced CPU with powerful quad-core processing, exceptional durability and unsurpassed connectivity housed in a thin, lightweight design.

According to the J.D. Power 2018 Malaysia Auto Consumer Finance Study, although most customers still apply for their auto finance by filling out paperwork, these customers are less satisfied than those applying online. Two-thirds of customers who apply online have their applications approved within two business days compared with 42% of customers applying with traditional paperwork. The approval time for applications is one of the main drivers of satisfaction. Overall satisfaction is higher among customers who receive an auto finance approval within two business days than those waiting for three or more business days.

Anthony Chiam, Service Industry Practice Leader at J.D. Power says,  “Customers clearly prefer the 24/7 convenience of a self-service application platform. However, it is interesting that there are currently only a few providers offering online auto finance applications. Moving the process onto a digital platform can go a long way in meeting the needs of customers and improving their overall experience, particularly as 82% say they prefer a paperless application process for their next auto finance product.”

The study also finds that satisfaction is higher among customers purchasing Islamic auto finance products than among those purchasing conventional auto finance products. Satisfaction among customers purchasing Islamic auto finance has increased since last year. Additional key findings show Interest rates are key when selecting auto finance provider. More than one-fourth of customers say the main reason for selecting their finance provider’s auto finance deal is because of the interest/ profit rate. This has increased by 5 percentage points from last year.

Customers also prefer dealing with financing directly instead of dealer financing. Of the 32% of new-vehicle buyers who finance their purchase directly through a finance company, satisfaction is higher than among those going through a dealer to arrange financing. Among customers opting for an auto finance provider that is different than their primary bank, 17% of those who are delighted with their auto finance experience say they “definitely would” switch their primary banking relationship to their finance provider.

Maybank ranks highest in four of the six study factors including interaction, onboarding, billing & payment, and origination. CIMB Bank ranks second and Hong Leong Bank ranks third. The study measures customer satisfaction with the products and services provided by their auto finance provider. The study measures overall satisfaction in six key factors namely, interaction,onboarding, billing & payment,  finance deal, origination, and finance advisor.

Online Auto Finance Applications Generate Higher Customer SatisfactionThe 2018 Malaysia Auto Consumer Finance Study is based on responses from 2,504 new-car buyers who financed a vehicle in the past 12 months. The study was fielded in March and April 2018.

Zurich Takaful Malaysia Berhad (ZTMB) has transferred its general takaful business to a newly-incorporated entity , Zurich General Takaful Malaysia Berhad (ZGTMB), effective 1 June 2018. This is in line with the requirements of the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA).

The transfer covers employees, assets and liabilities, distributors and contracts under the general takaful business. Zuhairi Ismail, formerly Audit Director of Zurich Malaysia has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ZGTMB.

There are no changes to the terms and conditions of the general takaful certificates previously issued by ZTMB. From 1 June onwards, all claims incurred from existing and new general takaful contracts will be managed by ZGTMB.

With Salim Majid Zain continuing as its CEO, ZTMB will maintain its name and continue to operate the family takaful business. There are no changes to the benefits and provisions under existing ZTMB family takaful certificates as a result of these changes.

Both ZGTMB and ZTMB will continue to operate through its combined network of branches across 13 locations nationwide. Customers will continue to receive quality services from their respective ZGTMB brokers and agents as well as ZTMB consultants.

ZGTMB was incorporated in accordance with the requirements set out under the IFSA, whereby a takaful operator holding composite licences shall not carry on both family takaful and general takaful businesses under one single entity.

In conjunction with World Milk Day and the holy month of Ramadan, Fonterra Brands Malaysia celebrates both occasions by sharing the goodness of dairy with communities in need. The dairy nutrition company from New Zealand distributed 500 meals of bubur lambuk enriched with Fernleaf UHT milk and Iftar packs loaded with dairy products at local mosque Surau As Sahabah, Kota Damansara.

The company also donated 60 kilograms of Fernleaf and Anlene milk powder to two charity shelters for children and the disabled, the Agathians Shelter and Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak-Anak Yatim Dan OKU Mesra. It also gave out over 1,000 Fernleaf UHT milk packs at LRT stations in Kuala Lumpur.

Megawati Suzari, Director of New Product Development, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Fonterra Brands Malaysia, says the company is privileged to be able to celebrate World Milk Day and Ramadan with several activities that are focused on supporting the health and wellness of Malaysians.

“We believe in enriching the lives of the people and communities where we operate, that’s why we wanted to celebrate Ramadan and World Milk Day by bringing dairy to people who may not have it as part of their daily diets. We are especially honoured to have so many families join us at the surau today to enjoy the bubur lambuk and Iftar packs that our team has prepared. As a leading dairy nutrition provider in Malaysia, we encourage everyone to consume more dairy because a balanced and wholesome diet is important in sustaining energy levels and maintaining good health, especially during the month of Ramadan. Milk contains many essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, potassium, B vitamins, that can help sustain energy levels and replenish nutrients lost during long hours of fasting,” says Megawati.

Haji Abdul Razak Bin Mohd Isa, Chairman of the Surau As Sahabah committee, says, “It is heartwarming to see so many families and children come together and enjoy a nutritious meal after fasting. We are grateful to have Fonterra with us today, distributing bubur lambuk and Iftar packs and providing them with the right nourishment to fuel their bodies.”

World Milk Day is an initiative by the Food and Agricultural Organization, a United Nations body. It is celebrated worldwide and recognises the importance of milk and dairy products as a source of nutrition for millions around the world.

All of Fonterra Brands Malaysia products are Halal certified by JAKIM.

SMBC Malaysia announces two new appointments to its Board of Directors. Chin Kok Sang is appointed as Chairman of SMBCMY effective 15 May 2018 replacing Datuk Md Agil Mohd Natt who retired as Chairman of the Board of Directors on 1 April 2018.

Chin has been an Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) of SMBCMY since 18 September 2015. During his tenure as INED, he has served as Chairman of both the Board Audit Committee and the Board Nominations and Remuneration Committee, and as a member of the Board Risk Management Committee. Chin has over 30 years of experience in the banking and finance industry. He spent 14 years with Societe Generale Group at its offices in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Since 1998, Chin has been a business consultant and corporate adviser to both public listed and unlisted companies in Malaysia as a Corporate and Debt Restructuring specialist. He has also held senior management positions and served as INED in several public listed companies in Malaysia and Singapore,  Chin was the Group Chief Executive Officer of Denko Industrial Corporation Berhad, a company listed on Bursa Malaysia between November 2011 and May 2015.

Meanwhile, Datuk Wan Mohd Fadzmi Bin Che Wan Othman Fadzilah has been appointed an INED of SMBCMY effective 1 April 2018. He will also assume the role as Chairman of the BRMC while concurrently serving as member of the BAC and BNRC. With over 25 years of experience in the domestic and international banking industry, he has led key business units in London, New York and Hong Kong. During his tenure as President/Chief Executive Officer of Bank Pertanian (M) Berhad from July 2011 to August 2017, he successfully transformed the bank from a conventional bank to a full-fledged Islamic Bank, making it one of the few banks in the world to have undergone such a transformation.

He is a Chartered Banker, Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers and a Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance. He has attended the Advanced Management Program at Wharton Business School and the Senior Executive Finance Program at the Templeton College, University of Oxford. Datuk Wan Fadzmi is also the INED of Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad and Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad.

The Kenanga Growth Fund Series 2 by Kenanga Investors Berhad, aims to provide investors with long-term capital growth by investing principally in a diversified portfolio of Malaysian and foreign equities and equity-related securities of growth companies with sustainable business models.

The Fund’s tactical allocation strategy enables the portfolio to aim for growth during favourable market conditions as well as capital preservation during adverse conditions. It is measured against a benchmark of 8% growth per annum and has up to 30% in regional exposure as part of its asset allocation strategy.

Executive Director and CEO of Kenanga Investors, Ismitz Matthew De Alwis says, “We have experienced significant success with our flagship fund, Kenanga Growth Fund and we intend to replicate this with KGFS 2. To date, KGF’s fund size stands at RM1,395.68 million since its launch in 2000. Many investors have also been asking us about the potential of launching a new series and we are pleased to now present this to the public. KGFS 2 will be deeply rooted in Kenanga Investors’ investment style which is to apply a bottom-up stock picking approach by focusing on companies with strong fundamentals and proven track records.”

Chief Investment Officer Lee Sook Yee comments, “We look for sustainability of business models, earnings visibility and balance sheet strength when picking stocks. Aside from pursuing capital growth through investing in growth oriented companies both in Malaysia and overseas, the Fund aims to mitigate downside risk through a well-diversified portfolio that is not constrained by any benchmarking.”

The Fund will be available in both MYR and USD classes which offers options for investors to invest in their preferred currency. The minimum investment amount is RM1,000 for the MYR class or USD250 for the USD class and is available nationwide.

Starting September 1, 2018, Korean Air will commence direct service to Eastern Europe three times a week flying between Seoul/Incheon, South Korea to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.  The flight from Seoul/Incheon to Zagreb will be operated with an Airbus 330-200, seating 218 passengers. The launch of the new Korean Air route is the first regular service connecting Croatia and Asia directly.

Having operated charter flights from Seoul to Zagreb since 2010, the number of Korean visitors to Croatia have steadily risen over the years.Located in Northwest of Croatia, Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. It has rich history and culture dating back to Roman times.

The other prominent tourist destinations are Dubrovnik, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and Trogir, a historic town and harbor on the Adriatic coast. In addition, Plitvice Lakes National Park is world-famous for one of the oldest and largest national park in Croatia with 16 lakes and 90 waterfalls.  

With the addition of the new route, Korean Air will operate international flights to 111 cities in 43 countries.

According to the fifth annual Global Powers of Luxury Goods report by Deloitte, the world’s 100 largest luxury goods companies generated sales of US$217 billion in FY2016 and the average luxury goods annual sales for a Top 100 company is now US$2.2 billion. The report examines and lists the 100 largest luxury goods companies globally, based on the consolidated sales of luxury goods in FY2016. It also discusses the key trends shaping the luxury market and provides a global economic outlook. The top five largest Fashion & Luxury players, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, Luxottica Group SpA and Kering SA maintained their positions on the leader board.

Patrizia Arienti, EMEA Region Fashion & Luxury Leader, Deloitte Italy says, “The luxury market has bounced back from economic uncertainty and geopolitical crises in 2016, edging closer to annual sales of US $1 trillion at the end of 2017. Whether total global market growth is in single or double digits will depend on many factors, including larger geopolitical factors and their impact on tourism. Growth in the luxury goods industry will continue, unlike in several other industries.”

Eugene Ho, Deloitte Southeast Asia’s Consumer & Industrial Products Industry Leader says, “With continued good economic growth, the Southeast Asian region is attempting to gain ground on the retail and luxury goods industries. More and more brand names are entering the Southeast Asian markets especially at the luxury segment to capitalise on the growth of the young middle-class consumers. Furthermore, with the growing number of consumers falling into the middle income group, this leads to changes in their spending priorities. For example, affluent younger consumers are starting to hunger for more premium and branded goods. The future market is very much going to be driven by the younger, tech-savvy and more affluent generation. Businesses must recognise the need to adjust their business strategies and implementing digitally-enabled business models to meet consumers’ evolving expectations to enhance the shopping experience.”

Italy is once again the leading luxury goods country in terms of number of companies, while France has the highest share of sales. China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US together made up 83% of the Top 100 luxury goods companies and 90% of Top 100 luxury goods sales. Spain and France reported the highest growth rates of luxury goods sales.

Among the Top 10 companies, three are conglomerates participating in multiple sectors of the luxury goods market; two are cosmetics and fragrance companies, two are jewellery and watch companies, two are fashion companies, and global eyewear leader Luxottica is the only accessories company. Three are headquartered in the US, three in France, two in Switzerland and one in each of Italy and Hong Kong SAR.

Between FY2014 and FY2016, composite luxury goods sales for the Fastest 20 companies increased at a compound annual rate of 15.1%, nearly four times the rate for the Top 100, but 7.1% points down on the previous year. The strongest product sectors in the Fastest 20 were once again clothing and footwear (ten companies) and jewellery and watches (five companies).

Sales by companies in the luxury clothing and footwear sector were lower in FY2016 than in the previous year, although currency-adjusted sales grew by 0.2%. Both sales growth rates and net profit margin fell for the second year in succession. With 38 companies, this product sector has by far the largest number of companies in the Top 100. Cosmetics and fragrances was the top-performing sector in FY2016 and was the only sector with improving composite luxury goods sales growth, at 7.6%.

All eleven of the companies in the multiple luxury goods sector have by far the largest average size among the Top 100. The average annual luxury goods sales was US$6.3 billion, and together they accounted for 32.2% of the Top 100 luxury goods sales.

Samsung is reinforcing its commitment to ultra-large screen televisions. The 2018 Samsung TV edition features 9 series across the QLED TV, Premium UHD, UHD display range, available in a variety of sizes. The QLED is the TV that does it all. Unrivalled viewing experience with no more distractions giving just pure entertainment.

Yoonsoo Kim, President, Samsung Malaysia Electronics says, “This year, our 2018 QLED TVs are truly the most cutting-edge and contemporary-designed TV based on the modern consumer’s lifestyle. As such we are proud to say that our consumers will be able to enjoy their content, and how they interact with their devices on a redefined level.”

Samsung’s 2018 line of televisions is undeniably the most versatile and exciting yet. Thanks to the enhancements that have made the TV much more immersive and intelligently adaptive with users’ lifestyles, let’s take a closer look at the key features.

Models in the 2018 lineup feature both flat and curved display options. Models in the 2018 QLED TV range include  Q9F (75”, 65”), Q8C (65”, 55”), Q7F (75”, 65”, 55”). The QLED TVs feature enhanced color and contrast, HDR10+ compatibility, Magic Screen, Smart TV enhancements with SmartThings, One Remote Control and the One Invisible Connection. Meanwhile, models in the 2018 Premium UHD TV lineup include NU8500 and NU8000. The Premium UHD TVs include features such as dynamic crystal color, HDR10+ compatibility, clean cable solutions, and Smart TV enhancements with One Remote Control. Finally, models in the 2018 UHD TV lineup include NU7400 (55”, 65”), NU7300 (49”, 55”) and NU7100 (55”, 58”, 65”, 75”). These UHD TVs include feature such as 4K UHD and HDR picture capabilities, clean cable solutions, slim design and Smart TV capabilities.

Samsung also offers four new audio products that offer clear and immersive sound tailored to the different ways that individual consumers set up and use their home theatre systems. Designed for gamers, the HW-N650 soundbar features Acoustic Beam Technology that puts consumers at the center of the action. The HW-NW700 soundbar features a wall-mounted design that perfectly complements QLED TVs so that they both blend beautifully into any home environment.

Samsung’s 2018 home entertainment lineup will be available starting 1st June 2018 onwards at all Samsung Brand Stores and authorised dealers nationwide.

Contra Trading, the second product by Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd will be out on Monday 4 June 2018. Account opening facilities for Contra trading will be available to early bird customers beginning Saturday, 2 June 2018. The Contra Trading facility will offer investors a trading limit of three or five times the value of cash and/or collateralised shares.

According to Rakuten Trade Managing Director, Mr Kaoru Arai, “Trading on the Malaysian equity market has never been more seamless and more efficient. In true Rakuten style, we are enhancing the trading experience for our investors by providing a platform that is different and more advantageous than what is currently being offered. Our Contra Trading complements the existing Cash Upfront facility as it gives additional leverage of up to 5 times to our clients, higher than what is currently offered, yet at low brokerage rates that are the lowest in town.”

The launch comes at an opportune time as Rakuten Trade, the country’s first completely digital equities broker, just turned one. The Rakuten Trade Contra Trading account offers share collateral value that differs depending on the type of collateral.

In line with the launch of its Contra Trading facility, Rakuten Trade also announced its Two Is Better Than One Campaign that offers cost efficiencies to investors. Clients who open both a Cash Upfront & Contra Trading account will receive a rebate of RM10. Upon successful execution of their first trade, clients will receive 2,000 Rakuten Trade points. Rakuten Trade is the result of a joint venture between Malaysia’s leading independent investment Bank , Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad and Rakuten Securities, Inc. in Japan, part of Rakuten Group, a global innovation leader headquartered in Tokyo. At Rakuten, they believe in empowering society, not just to provide convenience to its customers around the world with innovative services.

CIMB Bank Berhad and CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad unveils the CIMB 1-Minute Auto Financing InstaApproval, a digital platform that approves auto financing within one minute upon full submission of information and documents. This is the latest addition to CIMB’s InstaApproval series after the 1-Minute Home Financing Insta Approval. Offering a fast, secure, paperless and complete online financing approval process, the InstaApproval is a paradigm shift in approval time for auto financing.

Samir Gupta, CEO Group Consumer Banking CIMB Group says the loan is available for both new and used cars and comes complete with the Letter of Undertaking upon approval. Customers will receive an instant SMS notification once the loan is approved and an email will be sent to the customer and car dealer. He adds, “Customers only need to use their Identity Card and do a biometric fingerprint identification. The data will then be checked to see the eligibility. We are not compromising the requirements for the financing as they are still the same. We are just speeding up the process of approval.”

Currently, seven partners are participating in the CIMB 1-Minute Auto Financing InstaApproval. They are Cycle & Carriage Bintang Berhad, Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd, Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Ingress Auto Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd, Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd and UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd. Samir adds that more dealers will be added in the near future. This will include both new and used car dealers as well.