Total duty-free areas in the three terminals amount to 19,000 square metres.

The high demand has translated into an expansion in show scale at Secutech Thailand, which continues its year on year growth. Across 7,000 sqm of exhibition space at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Bitec), over 250 brands are exhibiting, which represents a jump of 10 per cent from the previous edition.

“Visitors to this year’s Secutech Thailand will find products and solutions that are fit for the new age of security,” said Hubert Duh, managing director of Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd.

“As is the case across Asia, smart and safe city is a hot topic in Thailand and we are expecting a large number of government and commercial sector stakeholders to pass through the doors over the coming days to source and learn about new technologies for this sector. The technological barriers to entry for suppliers in the sector are extremely high, particularly with regards to artificial intelligence and IoT [internet of things] technology. For this reason, we are glad to be hosting a mix of international brands with strong technological pedigree that can fulfil the requirements of regional buyers.”

The international line-up of brands is expected to attract high numbers of visitors to the fair, which welcomed a record 8,326 trade visitors at the previous edition.

Some of the most notable companies at the show include Dahua, Full Enterprises, Full Life, HIP Global and ZKTeco.

Many of these companies offer IoT based solutions that can be customised to meet the needs of users. The fair therefore offers them an opportunity to meet with potential clients to discuss their requirements.

It offers a stringent security system with free SMS notifications for purchases over Bt300.

Bangkok Bank vice president Shoke na Ranong said the card featured a contactless payment system which allows users to make payments by waving it at an Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machine without the need to swipe.

Card-users can make transactions with ATM and EDC using a 6-digit PIN.

Shoke said: “Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically. More people use digital channels to buy products and services online while using less cash. In 2017, the value of Thailand’s e-commerce market stood at Bt2.8 billion and is projected to reach Bt3 trillion in 2018. As such, the bank has joined with partners to develop and launch the Be 1st Smart TPN Mastercard to serve the lifestyles of modern consumers and provide stringent safety with its chip and pin system.

“TPN provides the domestic payment network and Mastercard the international payment network. Therefore, the card will perfectly meet the needs of customers while being in line with the government’s ‘cashless society’ policy.”

Bangkok Bank is offering special promotions for cardholders, including SF movie tickets for Bt88 per ticket, discounts up to 50 per cent from Grab and up to 30 per cent off from GuavaPass.

The card boasts a stringent security system with free SMS notifications for purchases of Bt300 or over. Bangkok Bank is confident that the introduction of the card will help maintain its position as a leader in Thailand’s debit card market.

Bangkok Bank Executive Vice President and Credit Card Division Manager Shoke Na Ranong said the card can be used to pay at shops with the TPN symbol, those in the Mastercard network, and also for online purchases, both domestically and internationally.

In addition, the card also features a contact-less payment system which allows users to make payments by waving it at an Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machine without the need to swipe.

 The card was developed with an integrated security system that features an embedded chip to prevent credit card fraud. Card-users can safely make transactions at both ATM and EDC machines using their 6-digit PIN verification. Users will get peace of mind with free SMS notifications when spending Bt300 or more so they can keep track of their card usage at all times.

“Consumer behavior has changed dramatically. More people use digital channels to buy products and services online while using less cash. In 2017, the value of Thailand’s e-commerce market stood at Bt2.813 billion and is projected to reach Bt3 trillion in 2018 (data as of July 24 from Event Digital Thai Digital Asia – DTDA).

Bangkok Bank is offering special promotions for cardholders, including SF movie tickets for 88 baht per ticket, discounts up to 50% from Grab and up to 30% off from GuavaPass.

TPN General Manager, Vipawan Yongvikul, said that the company aims to grow the payment network to facilitate the use of debit cards for store purchases through this collaboration with new global partner Mastercard.  The key feature of the Be1st Smart TPN Mastercard is that it can be used by both swiping (contact) and waving (contactless), enabling easier and faster transactions.

Meanwhile Donald Ong, country manager for Thailand and Myanmar, Mastercard said, “Mastercard is delighted to partner with Bangkok Bank and the Thai Payment Network to launch the Be1st Smart TPN Mastercard. The co-branded debit product provides cardholders access to over 44.4 million Mastercard acceptance locations across the world. In addition to convenience, cardholders can enjoy peace of mind with embedded safety and security features such as EMV chip technology and 3D secure transactions for online purchases as well as unique privileges such as exclusive promotions from our merchant partners, both in Thailand and abroad. This initiative further underscores Mastercard’s commitment to provide safe, secure and seamless payments to further accelerate Thailand’s journey towards a cashless society.”

In a press release issued on Thursday, the company said the chatbot, targeting candidates seeking internships and positions such as beauty advisors, has been successfully deployed in the UK, the US, and France since September 2018, and will be introduced in other countries later on.

The first launches increased candidates’ satisfaction and allowed L’Oreal, which receives over 1 million applications per year, to manage an even higher volume of applications.

Niilesh Bhoite, chief digital officer for HR at L’Oréal, said: “The results of the first 10,000 recruiting conversations show that Mya engages with 92 per cent of our candidates in an efficient way and achieves a near 100 per cent satisfaction rate. We’ve received great feedback from our applicants. Many commented on how easy and personal the experience felt.”

Jean-Claude Le Grand, executive vice-president human relations at L’Oréal, said: “As part of its overall HR transformation and digitisation efforts, the group takes an important step forward with this partnership. This new performing technology reinforces HR people’s counsellor role and enables them to really focus on the qualitative and human dimension of the recruitment process.”

To create a solution tailor-made for the group’s recruitment needs, L’Oréal supplies the specific criteria to be met by candidates for each different position and works with Mya to enrich the tool.

The Mya chatbot is able to ask candidates factual questions to determine whether their profiles match the position requirements: Are you available at the internship start date and throughout the entire internship period? What year are you currently in and how long is your degree course? Do you need us to make any reasonable adjustments in order for you to be able to complete your application? Do you have any questions for me regarding the company culture, application process, or position details? This type of bias-free, objective screening goes beyond resumes to intelligently streamline the search for new talents.

User-friendly, Mya is accessible via mobile phone anytime and anywhere. From the start, Mya presents itself as a chatbot. At the end of this first phase, qualified applicants are put in contact with recruiters. Especially valuable in a world where many job seekers do not have the necessary level of information regarding their application follow-up, this technology provides ongoing reminders and updates for a more considerate, more people-centric experience.

 In a press release issued on Thursday, the company said he joins LJ Partnership’s wholly-owned investment and advisory subsidiary, Guggenheim Investment Advisors (Hong Kong) Limited (“GIA (HK)”), which was acquired by LJ Partnership in 2016.

The company said the appointment comes shortly after a significant investment by Dilmun, the New York-backed family office originally from the Gulf, which acquired a 40 per cent stake in LJ Partnership in July 2018.

O’Brien has more than 10 years of experience in real estate advisory, counselling Asian real estate clients on acquisitions, dispositions, JVs, debt and equity raising, as well as leasing and ownership strategy, the company said.

Based in Hong Kong, his real estate advisory expertise complements GIA HK’s existing asset management capability and will be instrumental in driving LJ Partnership’s growth in Asia.

Alexander de Meyer, CEO of LJ Partnership, said: “We are delighted that Neill – a seasoned regional real estate advisor – is joining GIA (HK) as a managing director. This comes at a time that we are expanding our footprint in the Asia-Pacific region. Neill will be a strong addition to the specialist advisory team matching long term capital to proprietory deal flow.”

O’Brien said: “I am very pleased to be joining LJ Partnership’s real estate advisory and investment business in Asia. Capitalising on the Group’s well-established platform, international network of real estate operators and impressive investment track record, I look forward to introducing Asian investors to a range of diversified direct and co-investment opportunities across the globe; and to further contributing to LJ Partnership’s expansion in Asia-Pacific.”