Hanoi launches programme to become start-up city

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290831

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July 18, 2016 01:00
By VIET NAM NEWS

HANOI – The Department of Information and Communications of Hanoi (DIC) has worked with several agencies to develop an information-technology business-incubator scheme to promote start-ups.

The aim is to develop Hanoi as a start-up city, director of the DIC, Phan Lan Tu, said at a briefing to review the performance of the department in the first six months of the year. He said the government had talked a lot about Vietnam becoming a start-up country and Hanoi was eager to become a start-up city.

In May, the prime minister approved a draft project called “National Programme to Support Innovative Start-up Ecosystem in Vietnam by the year 2025” to create a favourable environment to promote and support the development of start-ups with high-growth potential.

The project has set the following targets for 2020: complete the main legal framework for a start-up ecosystem; run an online portal for the National Innovative Start-up Ecosystem; and support about 800 start-up projects and about 200 start-up enterprises.

Of those enterprises the goal is to have 50 raise follow-on funds from private venture investors or undergo mergers worth about VND1 trillion (Bt1.7 billion).

By 2025, the project is expected to have supported 2,000 start-up projects and 600 start-up enterprises, of which 100 will have raised follow-on investment from private venture investors, or will have undergone mergers worth about VND2 trillion.

State funding will only be provided to support start-ups in their earlier stages.

Subsequently, support from private investors and organisations will play a vital role in ensuring the efficiency and sustainability of the start-up ecosystem in Vietnam.

Tu said the Ministry of Information and Communications would have a start-up scheme in ICT. Currently, DIC is building a start-up project in Hanoi.

The department has also worked with relevant bodies in order to compile a report for the city administration about IT incubator schemes to enhance start-up activities for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

In the first six months, the department also finished preparing an information technology development programme for 2016 to 2020 and a plan to build a software and digital content park.

By the end of June, the capital city had issued investment licences to 98 foreign direct investment firms involved in information and communications technology. Among them, 29 are new projects with a total investment capital of US$1.55 billion (Bt54 billion).

In June alone, Hanoi’s total turnover from the export of electronics, PC accessories and peripherals reached $901 million.

Taiwanese bank opens branch in Singapore

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290849

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July 18, 2016 01:00
By The China Post

TAIPEI – In accordance with the “New Southbound Policy” of the government and the trend to cultivate the Asian market, the Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank (SCSB) has been successfully expanding its business in the Asia Pacific, according to an SCSB pre

The Singapore Branch of the SCSB officially opened on July 15. It showed SCSB’s resolution to expand its business in the Asia Pacific market. On the same day in the morning, Chairman Yung Hung-ching hosted the inauguration event.

The Singapore Branch hosted a celebration dinner on July 14, inviting Ambassador Ta-tung Chang, local Taiwanese and other Chinese-speaking businessmen, in total nearly 100 guests, the bank stated.

SCSB has set up branches in Hong Kong and Dong Nai, Vietnam and has set up representative offices in Bangkok, Thailand, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Jakarta, Indonesia. The Singapore Branch is the sixth overseas location of SCSB and is an important base for the bank in its plan to expand the Asean market, stated the SCSB.

The Singapore Branch will focus on corporate finance as its core business, providing a wide variety of services and financial commodities that include foreign currency deposits, trade finance, business credit, cash management and currency exchange. Cooperating with the overseas branches, OBU and overseas representative offices, the Singapore Branch can provide Taiwanese and other Chinese-speaking businessmen with international financial services. In the future, local business teams in Singapore will develop local high-quality clients, said the SCSB.

The Shanghai Commercial Bank (SCB) is SCSB’s subsidiary in Hong Kong. SCB has set up 43 branches, including in London, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Shenzhen and Shanghai. There is even a branch in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Along with the six overseas service bases, the global financial network of SCSB is definitely complete, the bank added.

Singapore is the fourth global financial centre and is a pivot for global finance, trade and transportation. Taiwan and Singapore have always had a close economic relationship. Singapore is Taiwan’s sixth biggest trade partner. Last year the trade amount between the two counties reached US$24.37 billion. Singapore is Taiwan’s sixth most popular investment destination. As of May 31, there were 2,186 investment cases in Singapore, accounting for US$7.97 billion, according to the SCSB.

For Taiwanese investors, the most invested industries in Singapore are finance and insurance, electronics manufacture, food processing, chemical material manufacture. Among those major Taiwanese investors in Singapore, there is a wide array of public listed companies, such as TSMC, UMC, Hon Hai, Asus, Compal, Asia Cement, CTCI and Wan Hai. In Singapore, the average income is high, and the unemployment rate is low, the SCSB stated.

EU, Indonesia launch free trade talks

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290966

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July 18, 2016 01:00

BRUSSELS – The EU’s 28 member states agreed on Monday to launch free trade talks with Indonesia, despite growing public doubts in Europe about two major transatlantic deals.

The deal with Indonesia will build on pacts with other Asian powers such as Singapore and Vietnam.

“The EU and Indonesia represent a huge market of 750 million consumers. These negotiations are key to unleash synergies between our economies,” said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem and Indonesian Trade Minister Tom Lembong in a joint statement.

But the decision comes at a difficult time for trade policy in Brussels with opposition growing as public opinion in Europe becomes increasingly doubtful on the benefits of globalisation.

Already a deal between the EU and Canada faces a risky ratification process among the 28 member states, while a proposed accord with the US seems at risk of being abandoned.

The EU also faces possible future trade talks with Britain when it eventually leaves the bloc following last month’s referendum.

The EU is Indonesia’s fourth largest trading partner with agricultural products a key export. Indonesia is the EU’s fifth largest trading partner in South-East Asia but only 30th overall.

The talks with Indonesia would begin by the end of the year, the statement said.

In addition to Indonesia, the EU is already in free trade talks with Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand, having concluded deals with Singapore in 2014 and Vietnam in 2015.

All are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). EU efforts to negotiate an overall trade accord with the 10-nation group have stalled, with the focus now put on bilateral deals.

Asean includes wealthy Singapore, one of the world’s most developed countries, oil-rich Brunei, developing states such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, and poorer nations like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

The bilateral deals “serve as building blocks towards a future EU-Asean agreement, which remains the EU’s ultimate objective,” the statement said.

– AFP

Asean banks urged to unite to fight cybercrime

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290832

July 18, 2016 01:00
By PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

MANILA – With Asean integration in full swing, the banking sector in the region should be wary of rising cyber-security concerns and intensify cross-border surveillance, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Amando M Tetangco Jr said.

Tetangco noted the closer regional economic integration’s advantages to the banking industry.

For one, “transforming 10 Asean jurisdictions into a single market consolidates the strength of a growing region that saves more than the rest of the world and has the vast potential of a young population”, the BSP chief said.

Tetangco said, however, there were possible downside risks to this integration.

He said information held by banks had become hot commodities. As such, the industry should address challenges to keep them safe, he added.

“Cross-border commerce is literally consummated in a few keyboard strokes, which highlights how the human intervention part of fintech [financial technology] can possibly compromise prudential standards and create trouble,” Tetangco said.

He said banks should embrace the advantages provided by fintech, but “we still have to be wary of the cyber security issues that arise, such as the increasing trend of phishing and identity theft cases”.

Cross-border surveillance

He said key to resolving cyber-security crimes was effective cross-border surveillance and collective but pre-emptive actions.

“Unfortunately, that is not as easy as it sounds. Asean member-states are at different stages of financial market development. Furthermore, the 10 jurisdictions may very well respond differently to the same risk due to idiosyncratic factors in their local markets,” Tetangco said.

Under the Asean integration, qualified Asian banks under the Asean Banking Integration Framework will “effectively extend the reach of one jurisdiction by having ‘outposts’ outside its national borders but still within Asean”, Tetangco said.

These banks then create a financial highway “that can harness the potential of Asean by developing the capacity to clear and settle intra-Asean trade and investments without depending on traditional correspondent banks”, he said. Qualified Asian Banks are banks with headquarters in the region, majority owned by Asean nationals, that operate in other Asean countries.

Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan’s gaming business just got bigger

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290829

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July 18, 2016 01:00
By THE STAR

KUALA LUMPUR – The founder of multi-industry conglomerate Berjaya Corp (BCorp) will launch the first phase of his Vietnam lottery business, which is held under Berjaya Gia Thinh Investment (BGTI), in Ho Chi Minh City. The next five years will see the roll

And over the week, Tan had entered into a RM108mil deal with a group associated with Sabah tycoon Yap Yong Seong – the former police officer turned businessman who is also popularly known as Duta Yap – that will soon give him full control of his Sarawak number-forecast operation (NFO) via Berjaya Assets (BAssets).

While upping his stake in the Sarawak NFO business is unlikely to give a significant boost to his wealth, the Vietnam venture will present a different story.

Experts reckon there is huge earnings potential in Vietnam, whose lottery market is estimated to be worth at least US$3 billion (Bt105 billion) per year. Tan has an effective stake of 51 per cent in the Vietnam lottery business through BCorp and Berjaya Sports Toto (BToto).

BCorp and BToto respectively have 49 per cent and 10 per cent interest in BGTI, while state-owned Vietnam Computerised Lottery One Member llc (Vietlott) owns the remaining 49 per cent stake in the company. The group was given the exclusive right to operate a nationwide computerised lottery in Vietnam for the next 18 years in January this year.

“We think the fact that Tan has parked the bigger portion of the BGTI stake in the holding company, that is, Bcorp, in which he has direct interest, speaks volume of the potential he sees in the Vietnam venture,” an analyst with a local bank says.

“By keeping a smaller portion of the BGTI stake in the subsidiary level, he will be able to limit the dilution of the potential gains from the Vietnam venture,” he explains.

According to Maybank Investment Bank’s (MIB) estimation, Berjaya’s Vietnam lottery business could potentially rake in a net profit of 522 million ringgit per annum during its steady state. This could translate into a net profit accretion of 209 million for BCorp and 52 million for BToto based on their effective stakes in BGTI.

“We are positive on this development but unsure as to when BGTI will reach steady state, and thus contribute materially to BToto,” MIB said in its recent report, noting that BToto’s 10-per-cent shareholding in BGTI will likely be recognised as an investment only.

“We opine that the larger beneficiary is BCorp due to its larger 41-per-cent shareholding in BGTI,” the brokerage argued.

The Vietnam venture is Tan’s second overseas lottery licence after getting one such licence in the Philippines in the mid-1990s. Among the products that will be offered by the Vietnamese operation are Lotto Games, Digit Games and Fast Draw Games. These will be distributed through various channels, such as computerised terminals, telephones and mobile phones, and the Internet.

“The risk for Berjaya group in Vietnam is the potential competition from the illegal gaming market,” an analyst says. “But the fact that a Vietnamese government-linked company is the group’s partner in the business could send a positive signal that such risk could be contained,” he adds.

No game changer

Meanwhile, the increase in BAasset’s stake in the Sarawak NFO business is not expected to be a game changer for the group. After all, the NFO market in Malaysia will likely remain sluggish over the medium term because of the prevailing weak consumer sentiment in the country.

Over the week, BAssets through its subsidiary Tropicfair Sdn Bhd (TSB) entered into a share sale agreement yesterday to acquire the remaining 50% stake, or 3.5 million shares, in Megaquest for a cash consideration of RM108mil, or RM30.81 per share, from Violet Circle Sdn Bhd (V-Circle).

The deal will enable BAssets to raise its effective stake in Natural Avenue Sdn Bhd (NASB) – the exclusive licensed agent for Sarawak Turf Club’s Special Cash Sweep Number Forecast Lotteries to conduct the 1+3D Big/Small and 3D Big games in Sarawak – from 65% to 100% upon completion of the proposed acquistion in the next six months.

The Megaquest group has a 70% stake in NASB, while the remaining 30% stake in NASB is directly held by three other wholly owned subsidiaries of BAssets. vDuta Yap and his son Yap Wee Sean are among the directors of Megaquest, which is a 50:50 JV between TSB and V-Circle. V-Circle, on the other hand, is jointly owned by Duta Yap’s wife Puan Sri Leong Li Nar and son Yap Wee Chun.

“The deal can help boost earnings for BAssets, but we do not think it will be significant mainly because NASB itself is already experiencing shrinking earnings amid a challenging market,” an analyst says.

“BAssets itself has conceded that the rampant illegal gaming in Sarawak is negatively impacting NASB’s earnings,” he adds.

In its filings with Bursa Malaysia, BAssets revealed that the Megaquest group posted a net profit of 9.35 million ringgit and revenue of 225.52 million ringgit for the financial year ended June 30, 2015. This represented a decline of 31 per cent from a net profit of 13.53 million ringgit and 6 per cent from revenue of 239.8 million ringgit in the preceding financial year. In fiscal 2013, the group’s net profit was 14.13 million ringgit against revenue of 236.86 million ringgit.

“The NFO market in Malaysia is rather saturated, with limited growth opportunities, so we don’t see much excitement with BAssets increasing its stake in NASB… it is certainly not a game changer for Berjaya group,” a market observer argues.

Be that as it may, Tan is still seen as putting his bets at the right places.

And as US presidential hopeful Donald Trump once said, “it’s good business being the house”.

Indian leather industry eye huge Vietnam market

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290850

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July 18, 2016 01:00
By News Desk
Viet Nam News

HO CHI MINH CITY – Indian leather and footwear businesses have only recently discovered Vietnam is a huge market while their Vietnamese counterparts import massive quantities of leather but little from India.

Last year, Vietnam imported US$5 billion worth of leather and accessories, only 5 per cent of it from India, the second largest global producer of leather and footwear.

Vietnam exports 850 million pairs of shoes every year but faces a severe shortage of raw materials, especially processed leather.

Diep Thanh Kiet, vice chairman of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association, asked his Indian counterparts at a meeting on Thursday on the sidelines of the 2016 Show and Leather Fair in HCM City attended by 41 Indian firms: “Indian leather has good price and quality; why cannot we buy from India?

“Every year, we imports billions of dong worth of leather from other countries, not India.”

But things have been changing in recent times, with Indian leather and footwear exports to Vietnam increasing steadily.

It rose from US$40.66 million in 2009–10 to $117.07 million in 2014–15. The latest reports show that in April-December last year they had risen to $84.5 million.

Rafeeque Ahmed, chairman of India’s Council for Leather Exports, in turn urged Vietnamese footwear companies to grab the opportunity that India, with its huge market, offers.

The Indian footwear market is estimated to be worth US$6.5 billion now and expected to rise to $12 billion by 2020.

India is renowned for its quality raw leather, while its large young population means the availability of skilled labour at competitive wages, Ahmed said.

The leather and footwear industry is among the top 10 foreign exchange earners for India, with an estimated US$6 billion.

A Khan of Kbro Leathertex, who was visiting the country for the first time to take part in the exhibition, said she had thought Vietnam was a small market but now realises it is huge and plans to open an office next year.

“Vietnam’s several free trade agreements with important markets in the world and membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership will offer a big advantage for investors here.

“I guess several leather and footwear factories will be moved from other countries to Vietnam.”

India’s ambassador to Vietnam, Parvathaneni Harish, said bilateral trade was US$7 billion in 2015 and is expected to rise to $15 billion by 2020.

The leather and footwear sector would greatly contribute to achieving the target, he said.

Indian companies see great opptunity in the Vietnamese market, he added.

ADB poll identifies key skills for Asian youth

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290848

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July 18, 2016 01:00
By Md Fazlur Rahman
The Daily St

DHAKA – Youths in Asia and the Pacific should learn skills in four key areas — communication, technical, leadership and ICT knowledge — to get them ready for the labour market.

This skills set is the result of a recent poll on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) blog and was published just days ahead of the World Youth Skills Day.

World Youth Skills Day was on July 15 and the United Nations observed the day with a special event under the theme ‘Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment’. In a blog poll in June, the ADB asked its readers what they believe are the top skills that the youth of Asia and the Pacific need to find jobs today.

This was not the case before, as most education systems in developing Asia were able to meet the skills required for employment, but global trends have altered the picture. Traditional learning methods, according to a World Economic Forum report released earlier this year, cannot keep up with the current employer demands.

The blog said skills alignment is crucial for the future of 754 million young people in Asia and the Pacific, where a skills mismatch can result in wasted economic potential for regional inclusive development.

“It is, therefore, interesting to know what skills our readers perceive are most necessary for youth to acquire,” wrote Richeline Tan Mascarinas, communications consultant for ADB’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, on the development agency’s blog site.

Communication and language skills took the top spot as 38 percent of the respondents favoured the skills, according to the poll.

“This is not surprising, since cognitive skills have always been considered as general requirements for employment, regardless of type of occupation,” wrote Mascarinas.

Also, as Asian countries become more integrated and globalised, a young person’s level of skills in effective communication undoubtedly impacts his/her chance in landing a job.

Running second is technical skills at 22 percent. These skills are occupation-specific; young people have to be adept at current trends and meet the needs of their dream jobs. Schools then should know what the demands of the changing workplace are so they can better equip young people with the necessary technical skills. This is a current global challenge as, according to UNDP, it takes 19 months to complete school-to-work transition, and many university graduates do not really use the skills they learned in school.

Leadership and ICT skills are at 20 percent.

“This is noteworthy, since like communications, leadership skills are a requirement that cuts across occupations. In fact, leadership and communications both fall under the so-called ‘sweet spot’ — rare skills that companies surveyed by Bloomberg desire but can’t get,” Mascarinas said.

ICT being acknowledged as equally necessary reflects the changing labour market perceptions. The need for ICT skills will grow in coming years, as industries become increasingly digitised and new markets emerge.

That today’s youth, dubbed as ‘digital natives’, is proficient in ICT skills is pretty much a given, and this may prove to be disadvantageous for young people who do not have easy and affordable access to the internet as well as advanced ICT training.

“Surveys and polls on skills such as this give us a peek into people’s perceptions, which help inform strategic planning on how to educate and correct possible mismatches between labour supply and demands,” said Mascarinas.

She said looking at the current challenges to youth employment, it is not enough to know what skills are deemed necessary for the youth to acquire, or even to know what skills the labour market actually demands.

Mascarinas said skills alignment should be a priority among governments and the private sector.

Besides, she said, civil society, including the youth, should monitor government-led activities on this front to help identify gaps and strengthen efforts. Likewise, development organisations must also innovate and lead in skills training.

The UN says understanding what works to support young people in today’s and tomorrow’s labour market through training and skills development will be key to the achievement of the 2030 agenda.

“On this World Youth Skills Day, let us renew our resolve to invest more in empowering young people. When we do, they can better advance the broader mission of the United Nations for lasting peace, sustainable development and human rights for all,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the occasion.

The ADB blog poll might also help Bangladesh chart its strategies on how to equip its vast youth population with skills that can allow the country to reap demographic dividend.

In 2015, the size of labour force was 6.14 crore. Of them, 5.87 crore are above the age of 15 years, according to a budget document submitted in parliament by Finance Minister AMA Muhith in June.

The document says the skills level of the labour force is not at the satisfactory levels. According to data from 2010, 40 percent of the workforce was illiterate and only 23 percent passed primary education.

This prompted the government to take a number of steps to enhance the skills of the labour force. In 2015-16, the government took up four projects worth Tk 428 crore for skills development.

The government also gave a roadmap on its plans on outbound migration so people going out of the country for jobs are trained.

According to the budget document, there are about 70 lakh Bangladeshis currently working abroad. Of them, 31 percent are skilled, 14 percent semi-skilled, 2 percent professionals and 52 percent low-skilled.

The government plans to raise the number of skilled migrant workers to 50 percent by 2030.

Understated elegance in Pacquiao home a knockout

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290539

July 17, 2016 01:00
By Marge Enriquez Philippine Dai

MANILA – Boxing icon-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, yet despite his stature, he enjoys simple pleasures.

At home, Pacquiao eats fried fish, nilagang baka (beef stew), sinigang na miso with salmon (salmon in sour soup), tinola (ginger chicken soup) and pinaupong manok (sitting chicken) made with native chicken, and kalderetang kambing (goat meat stew). He plays chess with friends and holds weekly Bible studies.

Still, Pacquiao has a taste for understated elegance. In his Makati residence, he favours a contemporary design with subdued colour palette, but rich with warm textures—even if wife Jinkee gets her way at times.

Years ago, the couple bought a three-level house on a sloping terrain, a total area of 1,526 square metres, in North Forbes, regarded as the most expensive and prestigious neighbourhood in the Philippines. It was tempting for them to opt for an opulent Old World or Hollywood décor style, replete with elaborately trimmed interiors and polished surfaces, showing off their affluence.

Asean Now: Weekly Wrap Ep 46

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290760

July 16, 2016 09:05

Asean Now wraps up the latest news of the week in the region.

Convicted child murderer escapes; The Hague tribunal backs Philippines; Boycott of Philippine mangoes; Indonesian military to rescue its troops; Boy gets knocked over by car; Show animal gives birth in the wild; Thailand remains neutral; Famous political critic killed; 4G in major Vietnamese cities; Man illegally breeds protected bears; Tallest man in Laos.

How I survived a week without cash and cards

Posted on October 28, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/aec/aec/30290488

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July 16, 2016 01:00
By Trevor Tan The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – The brief was simple. Spend a week using only Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. Just tap and pay with my smartphone. No cash, coins or even physical credit cards.

To do so, I would have to plan my days carefully. For example, I could have meals only in restaurants that support mobile e-wallet payment, do my grocery shopping in some supermarkets and and top up my car’s tank in select petrol stations.

Restaurants that officially support these mobile e-wallets are just a handful, like PastaMania, Din Tai Fung and McDonald’s.

With McDonald’s closest to my office, I ended up going there almost every day to have my lunch. Grabbing a cup of coffee means having to go to Starbucks or ToastBox, instead of my office canteen.

Thankfully, shopping for groceries was much easier.

Most of the major supermarkets, such as FairPrice and Cold Storage, support all three mobile e-wallets. Making payment at the supermarkets’ counters was a breeze.

But I did find one inconvenience when shopping without cash at the supermarkets.

I couldn’t use the trolley, as I had to slot in a one-dollar coin to use the shopping cart. Good training for my biceps with the supermarket basket, I guess.

As I drive, I rarely use my ez-link card. But to keep to the brief, I tried topping up my ez-link card using the mobile e-wallets.

You can now use credit and debit cards to top up ez-link cards at MRT stations’ General Ticketing Machines (GTMs) islandwide, but only Singapore-issued UOB Visa, MasterCard and JCB cards are accepted for now. I observed that these GTMs accept contactless credit cards for payments, so they should be able to accept mobile e-wallets too.

As I use a UOB Visa card on both Apple Pay and Android Pay, I was able to top up my ez-link card using both e-wallets. Samsung Pay does not support UOB cards currently, so no luck here.

For me, the bigger issue is trying to top up my CashCard, as carpark CashCard top-up machines usually accept only Nets. And my old car still uses the old in-car unit that does not support ez-link cards.

I thought I had found a way to top up my CashCard. Go to 7-Eleven or Cheers outlets and ask the cashier to top up the CashCard, and pay using the e-wallet.

But my mission failed, because only cash is allowed when topping up CashCards, according to a 7-Eleven cashier. So I had to ask my wife to help me top up.

Paying for petrol was much easier. I used Samsung Pay and Apple Pay at Shell and SPC petrol stations respectively. All went without a hitch.

Throughout the week, I found myself using Samsung Pay most often. This is because it works with both contactless payment readers and traditional magnetic stripe payment readers, which are more ubiquitous and allow transactions of more than S$100 (US$74).

But, even at supported outlets, the most difficult part was convincing the cashiers that Samsung Pay works on their payment readers, as they are so used to swiping cards.

I usually had to give them a tutorial: “Just tap the phone on the side where you usually swipe the credit card.”

I also found that most still needed me to sign on the paper receipts when using Samsung Pay.

There is no need to do so, according to Samsung.

Even for Android and Apple Pay, with which you just have to tap and pay, it was not so straightforward. Many cashiers seemed quick to reject them. But I have found ways to bypass the reluctance. I would tell the cashiers “Visa PayWave”, and tap my smartphone without their noticing.

My week of going cashless and paying with just my phone required more effort than usual and tested my patience, but I survived. Still, I think mobile e-wallets are not ready for prime time – at least until stalls at hawker centres and coffee shops start having the right payment readers.

Being a typical Singaporean, I still very much prefer the more affordable and tastier hawker centre fare, like bak chor mee or chicken rice.

Not being able to eat at hawker centres was torturous.

Heck, I couldn’t even use the toilet at the hawker centres, since I had no coins to pay the 10-cent or 20-cent toll.

So when the deadline passed, the first thing I did was to satisfy my craving: I grabbed my wallet and cash and headed for my favourite chicken rice stall at my neighbourhood coffee shop.

SootinClaimon.Com

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Category Archives: ASEAN+

Hanoi launches programme to become start-up city

HANOI – The Department of Information and Communications of Hanoi (DIC) has worked with several agencies to develop an information-technology business-incubator scheme to promote start-ups.

Taiwanese bank opens branch in Singapore

TAIPEI – In accordance with the “New Southbound Policy” of the government and the trend to cultivate the Asian market, the Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank (SCSB) has been successfully expanding its business in the Asia Pacific, according to an SCSB pre

EU, Indonesia launch free trade talks

BRUSSELS – The EU’s 28 member states agreed on Monday to launch free trade talks with Indonesia, despite growing public doubts in Europe about two major transatlantic deals.

Asean banks urged to unite to fight cybercrime

MANILA – With Asean integration in full swing, the banking sector in the region should be wary of rising cyber-security concerns and intensify cross-border surveillance, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Amando M Tetangco Jr said.

Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan’s gaming business just got bigger

KUALA LUMPUR – The founder of multi-industry conglomerate Berjaya Corp (BCorp) will launch the first phase of his Vietnam lottery business, which is held under Berjaya Gia Thinh Investment (BGTI), in Ho Chi Minh City. The next five years will see the roll

Indian leather industry eye huge Vietnam market

HO CHI MINH CITY – Indian leather and footwear businesses have only recently discovered Vietnam is a huge market while their Vietnamese counterparts import massive quantities of leather but little from India.

ADB poll identifies key skills for Asian youth

DHAKA – Youths in Asia and the Pacific should learn skills in four key areas — communication, technical, leadership and ICT knowledge — to get them ready for the labour market.

Understated elegance in Pacquiao home a knockout

MANILA – Boxing icon-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, yet despite his stature, he enjoys simple pleasures.

Asean Now: Weekly Wrap Ep 46

Asean Now wraps up the latest news of the week in the region.

How I survived a week without cash and cards

SINGAPORE – The brief was simple. Spend a week using only Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. Just tap and pay with my smartphone. No cash, coins or even physical credit cards.

HANOI – The Department of Information and Communications of Hanoi (DIC) has worked with several agencies to develop an information-technology business-incubator scheme to promote start-ups.

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TAIPEI – In accordance with the “New Southbound Policy” of the government and the trend to cultivate the Asian market, the Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank (SCSB) has been successfully expanding its business in the Asia Pacific, according to an SCSB pre

Share this:

BRUSSELS – The EU’s 28 member states agreed on Monday to launch free trade talks with Indonesia, despite growing public doubts in Europe about two major transatlantic deals.

Share this:

MANILA – With Asean integration in full swing, the banking sector in the region should be wary of rising cyber-security concerns and intensify cross-border surveillance, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Amando M Tetangco Jr said.

Share this:

KUALA LUMPUR – The founder of multi-industry conglomerate Berjaya Corp (BCorp) will launch the first phase of his Vietnam lottery business, which is held under Berjaya Gia Thinh Investment (BGTI), in Ho Chi Minh City. The next five years will see the roll

Share this:

HO CHI MINH CITY – Indian leather and footwear businesses have only recently discovered Vietnam is a huge market while their Vietnamese counterparts import massive quantities of leather but little from India.

Share this:

DHAKA – Youths in Asia and the Pacific should learn skills in four key areas — communication, technical, leadership and ICT knowledge — to get them ready for the labour market.

Share this:

MANILA – Boxing icon-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, yet despite his stature, he enjoys simple pleasures.

Share this:

Asean Now wraps up the latest news of the week in the region.

Share this:

SINGAPORE – The brief was simple. Spend a week using only Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. Just tap and pay with my smartphone. No cash, coins or even physical credit cards.

Share this: