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https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/business/pr-news/40019214

New platform will develop holistic policy options that address challenging demographic trends with potential long-term economic challenges.

Bangkok, August 22, 2022 – Organon, a global women’s health company, together with a wide-ranging group of organizations working with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), today launched the APEC Smart Families project, with the aim of eventually avoiding and reversing demographic trends that pose long-term economic challenges to the region. APEC – led by Thailand as the host economy of the Third Senior Officials and Related Meetings (SOM3) – is developing the project with the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, intra-government agencies, family planning experts, academics, international organizations, and the private sector, including Organon.

Of APEC’s 21 member economies, 17 are significantly challenged by demographic trends, including total fertility rates falling below replacement rates. Birth rates have fallen across the region from 22 births per 1,000 in 1989 to 14 births per 1,000 in 2018. This, along with an increased elderly dependency ratio, has resulted in rising total dependency ratios since 2010, weakening economic security and posing long-term, negative economic challenges. Another demographic challenge in Asia Pacific is the prevalence of high rates of unintended pregnancy (UIPs), which directly impact women’s economic participation.

To address these ongoing demographic trends, APEC SOM3 2022 host country Thailand will commence the Smart Families project by convening a symposium for interested economies on the sidelines of the conference, creating a platform for sharing learnings and policy perspectives to support their mutual initiatives.

Dr Bunyarit Sukrat, Director, Bureau of Reproductive Health Division, and Project Overseer of APEC Smart Families said: “The most significant demographic challenges faced by APEC economies are low birth rates and high unintended pregnancies. We therefore need family planning policies that effectively address these challenges, so individuals and families who want to have children and avoid unintended pregnancies are provided easy access to fertility planning and contraceptive information and services.”

The APEC Smart Families project seeks to both initiate a policy dialogue and develop comprehensive policy options, as well as build consensus among APEC members to collaborate on addressing these trends. Input will be sought from health, education, finance and labor and other intra-government agencies, family planning experts, civil society, academia, international organizations, and the private sector.

“Early access to family planning has the potential to elevate gender inclusion and advance women’s economic empowerment, which is crucial to building a sustainable future for women, families, economies and societies,” said Michael Pergine, Organon’s Head of Global Policy, Government Relations and ESG Strategy. “Organon is committed to investing in her health and equity to make a difference in all of the APEC economies, and we look forward to collaborating with all of the organizations involved in this important project.”

The first phase of the Smart Families project will see panelists identify and propose holistic policy options during the course of the symposium, including fertility planning for individuals and families who want to have children, and the avoidance of unintended pregnancies to enable women’s economic empowerment. Following the symposium, an expert working group will be assembled to further develop and formalize policy options over the course of three sessions between October 2022 and June 2023.

The final “APEC Smart Families: Comprehensive, Holistic Policy Options”, approved by APEC Health Working Group (HWG), will be published as an APEC publication. The target completion date is the 13th APEC High Level Meeting on Health & the Economy in August 2023.
 

Published : August 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/business/pr-news/40019213

The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security hosted the Second Meeting of the APEC Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE 2) on August 16 and 18, 2022 and the Public – Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy (PPDWE) on August 17, 2022. 

The meetings were chaired by Ms Renee Graham, Chief Executive, Social Wellbeing Agency of New Zealand, while Mrs Jintana Chanbamrung served as Thailand’s Head of Delegation for the meeting.

During the meeting and public-private dialogue, member economies shared experience across different functions and sectors on enhancing women’s economic empowerment through BCG and women full participation in Business. Members also discussed the preparation of the upcoming APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF), the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy (HLPDWE), which will be held in a hybrid format on September 7, 2022.  The WEF Statement 2022 was prepared for members’ consideration during the meeting of the APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF). 
 

Published : August 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/pr-news/40019212

BRAND is giving away 10,000 “BLOOD HERO” Limited Edition T-Shirts to younger generation blood donors until August 26, 2022

“BRAND’S Young Blood” project and National Blood Center, The Thai Red Cross Society, would like to encourage young volunteers between the ages of 17 and 22 to donate blood from today until 26 August 2022 and receive a BLOOD HERO t-shirt limited to 10,000 as a souvenir, in order to help to ensure sufficient inventory of quality blood supply for emergency needs during the on-going pandemic including assisting patients who require blood for operations or treatments as well as to assure that there is a strong, adequate supply of blood for every hospital across the country.

Please check the latest information on the campaign at www.blooddonationthai.com and www.brandsworld.co.th.

For questions or inquiries regarding blood donation as well as the national blood bank, please contact Blood Donors’ Registration and Public Relations Department at 02-255-4567 or 02-263-9600 ext. 1743 or 1752.
T-shirt distribution and collection points:

Bangkok and vicinity area: Information counter at National Blood Center, The Thai Red Cross Society as well as all seven blood donation centres (Fixed Stations) in Bangkok

Upcountry:  All 12 branches of blood donation centres under The Thai Red Cross Society 

Published : August 22, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/pr-news/40019203

Funding Societies, Southeast Asia’s largest Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) digital financing platform, announced a US$50 million (THB1.785 billion) credit facility signing with HSBC Singapore to continue expanding the firm’s reach to serving underserved SMEs in the region.

It was amongst the first fintech to be awarded the debt crowdfunding license by Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission.

This represents a huge opportunity for Thailand’s nascent SME market, and digital finance players like Funding Societies can help accelerate the growth of many businesses and bring revenue back to pre-pandemic levels.

SMEs make up 97% of all enterprises in Southeast Asia bringing 40% of GDP value across the region. In 2018, a report by the Asian Development Bank Institute highlighted that Thai SMEs’ contribution to the local economy accounted for 45% of the total GDP (or seven trillion Thai baht), which was larger than the economic contribution from large-sized enterprises.

However, that figure dropped to 32% in the second quarter of 2020 before recovering to 34.5% in the fourth quarter, last year due to the pandemic. With the local economy expected to recover this year, led by business activities resuming, access to financing remains more crucial than ever.

Co-founder and Group CEO of Funding Societies | Modalku, Kelvin Teo, said, “We’re honoured to receive such a sizeable facility from a global bank such as HSBC. This marks a critical milestone for us and is a testament to our credit track record through Covid-19. HSBC’s foresight, global capabilities and scalable approach further equip us to better satisfy the underserved SME segments in the region, especially given Thailand’s potential presenting a huge financing opportunity for small businesses in the country.” 

Commercial lending in the Asia Pacific is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.5%, generating a revenue of more than US$7 trillion (THB249 trillion) by 2028 – which makes up about 25% of the global market size of US$27.4 trillion (THB978 trillion).

The digital experience for SMEs is still underserved and is not at the same pace of digital transformation as with retail lending. Funding Societies has a track record of loan disbursement of over more than US$2.6 billion (THB92.7 billion) through more than 5.1 million transactions across the region.

Through this new credit facility, FinTech lenders will be able to channel the funds via its range of tailored financing solutions across SME segments in all five of its markets.

The signing enables HSBC to extend its global capabilities by tapping into the underserved segments across the region.

Furthermore, HSBC will act as the structuring bank, lender, facility and security agent in providing a flexible, scalable and pan-regional financing solution to support Funding Societies’ business expansion in the region.

Regina Lee, Head of Commercial Banking, HSBC Singapore, said, “As a leading SME digital financing platform, Funding Societies is playing an important role in contributing to Southeast Asia’s new economic growth by driving broader financial inclusion and supporting homegrown companies which are the building blocks of these economies. We are thrilled to support Funding Societies as they expand their reach to serving underserved SMEs in the region.”

This announcement comes at the heels of Funding Societies’ most recent acquisition of regional digital payments platform CardUp (subject to regulatory approvals), as part of a series of efforts to diversify its services beyond lending.

The digital financing platform also achieved several strategic milestones including its Series C+ equity raise of US$144 million (THB5.141 billion) in February, its recent investment into Bank Index in Indonesia, and market entry into Vietnam – its fifth market.

Published : August 22, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/pr-news/40019199

Dusit Thani Public Company Limited (DUSIT) and PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) aim to leverage their respective strengths and expertise to create a new growth engine for the Thai economy and deliver sustainable value across the entire supply chain.

Dusit Thani Public Company Limited (DUSIT), one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, and PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) by Modulus Venture, a wholly owned subsidiary of OR, a leading oil and retail company, have inked an agreement for OR to acquire a 25% stake in DUSIT’s food business subsidiary, Dusit Foods, as part of a joint vision to deliver a new growth engine that contributes to Thailand’s economic rise by fostering the development of the food industry.

To achieve this, DUSIT aims to combine its strengths in upstream, midstream, and downstream food businesses with OR’s expertise in operating leading retail distribution channels – including almost 2,500 PTT Stations and over 4,000 Café Amazon outlets – to reach multiple lifestyle segments, help local food businesses expand domestically and internationally, and deliver sustainable value across the entire supply chain, both inside and outside of Thailand.

The investment agreement was officially signed at a special ceremony held recently at Baan Dusit Thani in Bangkok, where Suphajee Suthumpun, Group CEO, DUSIT; La-ead Kovavisaruch, Chief Investment Officer, DUSIT; Jiraphon Kawswat, President and CEO, OR; and Somyot Kongprawet, Senior Executive Vice President, Lifestyle Business, OR, were all on hand to mark the occasion.

“We are delighted and honoured to join hands with OR for this exciting, synergistic alliance that will leverage OR’s robust retail platform and retail expertise and our own extensive knowledge in upstream, midstream, and downstream food businesses to meet the needs of multiple lifestyle segments in Thailand and abroad,” said Suthumpun.

“At the same time, our companies both share the same clear vision to deliver a new growth engine that fosters the growth of the food industry in Thailand and ultimately contributes to the country’s economic development. This includes working together with OR to create a new food platform that gives local businesses opportunities for domestic and international expansion, including extending their growth and revenue-generating prospects by working with OR as well as other thriving non-oil retail entities that OR has invested in previously, namely Café Amazon and the Ohkajhu health food brand. This shared vision makes our alliance even more powerful,” she added

Suthumpun explained that, as part of its vision ‘to bring Asia to the world,’ Dusit Foods itself prioritises investing in food businesses that place importance on natural, organic, and good-for-health processes while also supporting local communities.

“As part of our company’s three-pronged strategy for balance, expansion, and diversification, we have invested in food businesses that are not only related to our core hotel business but which also have high growth potential and cover the total supply chain. We expect all these food businesses to flourish under our alliance with OR, plus further opportunities to expand domestically and internationally.”

Dusit Foods’ investment portfolio currently includes Epicure Catering Co., Ltd., a leading provider of food and beverage services to the international school industry with a market share of over 70% in Thailand; The Caterers Joint Stock Company Limited, or ‘The Caterers,’ a leader in school catering and off-site receptions in Vietnam; and KAUAI, a popular healthy fast-casual restaurant chain from South Africa, which Dusit Foods brought to the Thai market and plans to expand across Asia.

Most recently, Dusit Foods concluded an agreement to acquire a 55% stake in Bonjour Bakery Asia Co., Ltd., which operates a state-of-the-art baking factory producing French-style pastry products in the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, Rayong Province, and its associated bakery franchise business, comprising more than 50 branches across Thailand and one in China.

Speaking on behalf of OR at the signing ceremony, Kawswat said that OR’s past, present, and future are fully embodied in its new vision, ‘Empowering All Toward Inclusive Growth.’ This vision includes identifying opportunities for inclusive growth and focusing on collaborations that strengthen businesses and help them to fulfil their potential. Kawswat added that OR’s ultimate goal is to reach inclusive growth and success in all dimensions amidst the uncertain global economic environment.

“Our alliance with DUSIT through Dusit Foods will enhance the potential of OR’s lifestyle business, especially the food segment, which will benefit the outlets owned by OR and those we have co-invested in,” said Kawswat. “One of OR’s missions is to create an alternative food business model that facilitates convenience and comprehensively meets all the lifestyle preferences of multigenerational consumers. Following our focus on Outside-In growth, which includes seeking investment opportunities with partners in new markets, this new model will also allow us to flourish with other Thai brands, locally and internationally.”

Kawswat said that DUSIT’s business strategy aligns with OR’s goal for economic prosperity aims to drive growth, offer career opportunities, and distribute wealth to partners and MSMEs by working directly with them.

“In expanding its business internationally, Dusit Foods aims to introduce ‘Thainess’ to the global arena, bringing benefits to both upstream and downstream food supply chains, as well as local communities, and we see huge potential for growth in this area,” said Kawswat. “OR is now ready for businesses of all types and sizes to enter the OR ecosystem, and we’re primed to transform into an Inclusive Growth Platform that combines business models and innovation to address problems faced by people, society, and the environment to have a positive, meaningful impact overall.”

Published : August 22, 2022