By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Last year was the world’s fifth hottest on record, while levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere hit new highs in 2021, European Union scientists said. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a report on Monday that the last seven years were the world’s warmest “by a clear margin” in records dating back to 1850 and the average global temperature in 2021 was 1.1-1.2C above 1850-1900 levels. The hottest years on record were 2020 and 2016. Countries committed under the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to limit global te… Continue reading “EU scientists say 2021 was world’s fifth-hottest year on record”
LONDON, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Best Places to Work organization announced today the top 20 Best Places to Work in Africa for 2022. The program recently compiled its annual list based on the assessment of over 500 organizations operating across the continent. Findings from this year indicated that the top performing organizations in Africa continued to invest in creating a highly-engaged workforce, with an average engagement score of 81%, compared with a market average of 69%. Additionally, 92% of top ranked organizations invested in having the right HR technology to improve productivity that could drive future success.
Topping this year’s ranking was Lundbeck, a global pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals followed by Teleperformance, a leading global service provider in Customer Interaction and Process Management. Zoetis, a global animal health company secured the third position. To be considered, companies must be identified as outstanding employers at least in one of the countries across the continent.
The ranking was determined based on feedback from employees gathered through anonymous surveys and an HR assessment evaluating the people management practices against the best workplace standards.
The top 20 list includes:
Lundbeck
Teleperformance
Zoetis
Groupe Vipp
Comdata Group
Novo Nordisk
BSH
Chaabi LLD
Ekuity Capital
STKE
SG ATS
iNova Pharmaceuticals
Somezzo
Schindler
Coface
Meridiam
Roche
Paps
Ipsen Pharma
IHS Towers
“This year’s Best employers in Africa demonstrated open communication and top team alignment, with clear differentiators of having a continuous approach across employee experience initiatives,” commented Hamza Idrissi, Program Manager for the Best Places to Work in Africa.
ABOUT BEST PLACES TO WORK PROGRAM
Best Places to Work is the most definitive ‘Employer of Choice’ certification that organizations aspire to achieve. Every year, the program certifies and recognizes leading workplaces in many countries around the world with a rigorous assessment methodology and a framework which reflects the very latest in workplace trends focusing on 8 Workplace factors including leadership, HR & people policies, compensation, benefits, teamwork & relationships, employee engagement, workplace & procedures and corporate social responsibility.
Acquisition Will Expand Cuentas’ Retail and Mobile Reach and Drive Growth in Key Target Markets
MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 10, 2022 / Cuentas, Inc. (NASDAQ:CUEN)(NASDAQ:CUENW) (“Cuentas”), a leading fintech provider of mobile banking and payment solutions, has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire the operations and distribution network of prepaid wireless and digital provider SDI Black 011 (SDI), as well as Mango Mobile and Black Wireless. The deal is expected to close by or before May of this year.
Cuentas previously invested in the expansion of the SDI network, and will leverage these assets to accelerate reach of the Cuentas prepaid debit card and digital wallet via retail, mobile and other channels. SDI generated more than $9 million in retail revenue in 2021.
“This acquisition will drive more recurring revenue and create new operational efficiencies for Cuentas.” said Jeff Johnson, CEO of Cuentas. “We expect SDI’s profitable assets to contribute to economies of scale across our business, and enable more solutions within the Cuentas mobile app, driving higher profits and accelerating market growth in our core fintech business.”
The SDI B2B portal serves over 30,000 US bodegas, wireless retailers and convenience stores, and will enable retailers to sell from a portfolio of hundreds of virtual products without carrying inventory, generating incremental profits in real-time.
Black011 and its brands already have hundreds of thousands of subscribers who purchase services via the SDI website and digital portal, both of which connect via API to the largest wireless companies in the world. This technology allows SDI to be one of the largest distribution channels for wireless services in the New York City metro tri-state area and nationwide.
Through this acquisition, both retailers and Black011 subscribers will benefit from access to Cuentas solutions including the Cuentas Prepaid Debit card, OMNY Transit, Amazon cash, prepaid gift cards, rebates, new offers and more.
About Cuentas
Cuentas, Inc. (Nasdaq: CUEN & CUENW) is a fintech e-banking and e-commerce service provider with proprietary technology that delivers digital financial services to the underbanked and un-banked Hispanic, Latino and immigrant population including mobile and online banking, prepaid debit, ACH and mobile deposits, cash remittance, peer to peer money transferring, and other services. The Cuentas General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) Card includes a digital wallet, discounts for purchases at major
physical and online retailers, rewards, and the ability to purchase digital content. For more information, visit https://cuentas.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined in section 27a of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21e of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release, which are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements that are preceded by, followed by, or that include such words as “believe,” “plan,” or “expect” or similar statements are forward-looking statements.
الدوحة قطر, 10 يناير / كانون الثاني 2022 /PRNewswire/ —
انضم إلى تلفزيون “العربي: أخبار” مؤخراً الإعلاميان محمد اليحيائي وداهم القحطاني ، ليقدما برنامجي “خليج العرب” و”قراءة ثانية”.
سيقدّم الإعلامي العُماني محمد اليحيائي برنامج “قراءة ثانية” في شكله الجديد، إلى جانب المساهمة بإعداده، ويستقبل البرنامج ضيوفاً مختصين، وأكاديميين بارزين لقراءة أحداث ومفاهيم سياسية وتاريخية بشكل يزيل ما يحيط بها من مبالغات، أو انحياز غير موضوعي.
ولليحيائي خبرة تمتد إلى أكثر من ثلاثين عاماً في المجال الإعلامي، إذ تنقّل بين الصحافة المطبوعة والتلفزيون في كلّ من سلطنة عُمان والولايات المتحدة الأميركية، وتخصص في تقديم البرامج الحوارية ذات الطبيعة السياسية، والفكرية الثقافية.
يعرض برنامج “قراءة ثانية” على شاشة التلفزيون العربي منذ يونيو من عام 2019، ويقوم البرنامج على حوار واع وموضوعي بين نخبة من المتخصصين الذين يقدمون قراءة مختلفة عن السائد، ويفندون ما يحيط المفاهيم والأحداث من مبالغات ومغالطات.
بدأ الموسم الأول للبرنامج بتناول قضايا فكرية ذات طابع ديني، ليقدم قراءة ثانية في قضايا جدلية مثل حد الرجم في الإسلام، ومفهوم الدولة في الإسلام، كما قدم البرنامج خلال حلقاته الأولى قراءة لشخصيات تاريخية إسلامية، ومن بين أبرزهم ابن تيمية.
في موسمه الثاني، انتقل البرنامج إلى قراءة قضايا سياسية تهم المواطن العربي، من بينها “الإسلاميون وعلاقتهم بالديمقراطية”، وأراد خلال موسمه الثاني طرح نظرة موضوعية لمفاهيم من بينها العلمانية، والليبرالية، والشعبوية.
في المرحلة الجديدة يطلق البرنامج صيغة تجمع بين التقارير الميدانية والأرشيفية المطولة، والحوار بين المختصين، مع التركيز على قضايا تاريخية وسياسية عامة.
وينضم كذلك إلى أسرة “العربي: أخبار”، الإعلامي الكويتي داهم القحطاني، مقدّماً لبرنامج “خليج العرب”، ومتناولاً الشأن الخليجي على مختلف الصعد بالنقاش والتحليل في محاولة لتعزيز القواسم المشتركة بين أبناء الخليج وإثارة التساؤلات الشائكة في واقعه وعلاقات دوله.
انطلق برنامج “خليج العرب” على شاشة التلفزيون العربي قبل أكثر من 4 سنوات، ويعد أحد برامج القناة السياسية الرئيسية، وهو يناقش كل ما يهم المواطن الخليجي، سياسياً واجتماعياً وثقافياً، كما يعرف المواطن العربي عموماً بدول الخليج لما لها من تأثير إقليمي ودولي ملحوظ.
واستضاف البرنامج خلال حلقاته السابقة مسؤولين وباحثين من مختلف دول الخليج، وتناول ملفات عدة من بينها سنوات حصار دولة قطر، والتي انطلق البرنامج بالتزامن مع بدايتها، ثم حرب اليمن، والملف النووي الإيراني.
ويهدف البرنامج خلال المرحلة المقبلة إلى الانفتاح على القضايا الخليجية ذات البعد الثقافي والاجتماعي، فضلا عن القضايا السياسية، ويخصص مساحة للزيارات الميدانية إلى دول خليجية، بالتزامن مع فاعليات ثقافية وسياسية واجتماعية.
وعمل القحطاني صحافياً في جريدة “الرأي العام” الكويتية، والتي عرفت لاحقاً باسم “الرأي”، كما قدّم برنامجاً حوارياً على الهواء مع آخرين في قناة “اليوم” الكويتية. وفي وقت لاحق، ساهم في إنشاء مشاريع إعلامية عدة، من بينها “جريدة الآن” الإلكترونية، وهي أول جريدة إلكترونية تصدر في الكويت والخليج العربي، كما ساهم في تأسيس أول نقابة للصحافيين في الكويت والخليج العربي، والتي تولى فيها منصب نائب النقيب، وأنشأ القحطاني كذلك “مركز عبد الله السالم لدعم الديمقراطية” وتولى إدارته سابقاً.
يمكنكم متابعة “العربي: أخبار” على تردداتنا المعتادة: نايل سات – 12646 HD، 10971 SD وسهيل سات2 11310HD V وهوت بيرد 12520 HD والموقع الإلكتروني نفسهwww.alaraby.comومنصاتنا على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي:
“العربي: أخبار”، قناة إخبارية ناطقة باللغة العربية تبث من العاصمة القطرية الدوحة ومن لندن وبيروت. تعنى “العربي: أخبار” بمتابعة الحدث وخلفياته وتfقديم الخبر والتحليل والتقييم والتحقيق. تلتزم القناة بتقديم صحافة ذات مصداقية عالية، ومحتوى موضوعي ومهني، وبتكريس مبادئ حرية التعبير، معتمدة على أعلى المعايير المهنية المعمول بها عالمياً.
SUZHOU, China, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — GoodWe has refreshed its brand in line with the evolution of the global new energy space, emphasizing on collaboration and digitalization. At the core of this new brand identity is GoodWe’s commitment to harnessing smart tech to drive the global energy transition and bring about a more sustainable future for all.
GoodWe considers technological innovation a key brand pillar, and so both its new logo and the accompanying brand slogan “Smart Energy Innovator” were rebranded to bring out this high-tech identity. The new logo will be officially launched January 7–8, 2022. Following that, new product designs will incorporate the new logo, highlighting the innovative brand identity behind the products.
As a smart energy innovator, GoodWe has committed itself to innovating around net-zero-enabling technologies, and digital interconnection is a key tenet of its vision for the future of new energy. The company has made it its goal to provide complete and integrated solutions in digitalized new energy. It has made significant investments in the research and development of products and systems that operate intelligently and efficiently, and are able to ultimately increase the productivity, safety, cost, and sustainability of energy systems.
GoodWe has also revamped its website and adopted a cleaner look that is optimized to offer site visitors a smooth, user-friendly experience. GoodWe’s brand personality has also been redefined and now emphasizes a brand identity that is “Strong, capable, and reputable.” This new identity reflects the brand’s core values of professionalism and reliability.
Collaboration and sharing are also part of GoodWe’s core values, and that is why it has set out to build communities in sustainable energy that are able to deliver value to all its key stakeholders, while creating a sustainable future for the Earth, humanity, and future generations.
GoodWe CEO and founder Daniel Huang has emphasized that, “GoodWe is determined to become a major driving force in the global energy transition, and global efforts to build a sustainable future.” This mission is guided by the company’s ultimate vision of driving the world’s smart energy transition.
On January 8, 2022, GoodWe will hold a ground-breaking ceremony for its new company headquarters in the Suzhou High-Tech Zone in Jiangsu. The headquarters — which will extend 20 floors above ground and 3 floors underground — are a major investment, set to feature smart tech and house a smart energy R&D facility where some of the company’s PV product and technology research will be conducted.
GoodWe’s rebrand delivers a cleaner and more streamlined look, in spirit with its commitment to help its customers transition to cleaner, more streamlined products and energy systems that deliver on efficiency. The brand sees smart tech as a critical tool in the transformation of the global energy space, and has committed itself to developing smarter and more efficient energy solutions that help meet the energy needs of the future so as to realize the shared global net-zero goals.
Implementation at the Bangladeshi Bank produced 100% digital transaction growth and 36% manual to digital conversion
DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Clayfin Technologies, a leading customer experience focused digital solutions provider for financial institutions, and BRAC Bank, have been awarded the ‘Best Digital Channel/Platform Implementation Award – Most Impactful Platform’ at IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2021.
The award has been given in recognition of the collaborative implementation of BRAC Bank’s new digital platform called ‘Astha’. Mobile Banking App ‘Astha’ comprises of a wide spectrum of digital services and engagement tools in retail banking. This is a prime example of digital infrastructure overhaul targeting superior customer experience, higher adoption rates and market impact. In less than a year of going live, Astha has made a significant impact adding 30% on digital customer growth, 100% in digital transaction volumes and 36% conversion from manual transactions to digital channel.
Recognizing the impactful solution implementation, Robin Amlôt, Managing Editor of IBS Intelligence, said, “I am thrilled to announce Clayfin Technologies along with BRAC Bank Limited as winners of the Most Impactful Project Award part of the Best Digital Channel/Platform Implementation category at the 3rd edition of the IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2021. The solution was highly impactful and resulted in an astounding 100% growth in digital transactions. Congratulations to the duo.”
On the occasion, Md. Sabbir Hossain, DMD and COO of BRAC Bank, said, “We are immensely honoured to have received this international award. The new Astha digital platform is part of our strategic digital system overhaul for delightful and convenient banking experience for the customers. Over a short period of time, the implementation of the app with the tagline ‘Bank Smart’ has helped us achieve a significant impact on our customer base. The award will help us launch more digital initiatives to take customer experience to newer heights.”
Rajesh BLN, CEO of Clayfin added, “We are proud and thankful to receive this award with BRAC Bank. Astha platform for BRAC Bank is functionally rich, intuitive, easy to use, safe and secure. For BRAC Bank, this is just the beginning of a journey. Through its digital initiatives, BRAC Bank will stay ahead of times, and will keep impacting the lives of more and more customers.”
About IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2021
IBS Intelligence is a pure-play Financial Technology focused research, advisory, and news analysis firm, with a 30-year track record and clients globally. The third edition IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards attracted global attention with over 190 participants from 48 countries.
About BRAC Bank
BRAC Bank Limited traded as ‘BRACBANK‘ on Dhaka Stock Exchange has been one of the country’s fastest-growing banks in Bangladesh with a particular focus on the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment.
Taking inspiration from its parent organization BRAC, the largest NGO in the world, it focused on Small and Medium Enterprises. Based out of Dhaka, the bank offers SME Banking, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking & Custodial Service, Treasury and Foreign Exchange & Related Services through 187 branches, 650 Agent Banking Outlets and digital channels. With more than 1.1 million customers, the bank has already proved to be the largest collateral-free SME financier in just 20 years of its operation in Bangladesh and continues to serve as a benchmark for governance, transparency and compliance in the banking sector.
About Clayfin
Clayfin is a leading provider of Digital Customer Experience solutions for Banks and Financial institutions. Clayfin works across geographies, and currently supports 80+ implementations across 30+ customers in APAC, Middle East and Africa.
