Also, MaGIC launches MasSIVE, Samsung family woes, and Starfab + TOP100
JD.com launches a regional office for Australia and New Zealand – [Press release]
E-commerce giant JD.com has announced the opening of a local office in Australia as it accelerates growth in the region.
Strategically located in Melbourne’s business district, the Australia and New Zealand regional headquarters will focus on establishing a solid presence in the region and helping local brands gain access to its 266 million active users.They are already staffed and ready to engage Australian and Kiwi businesses on the JD platforms.
“Australian and New Zealand brands are in strong demand on JD.com, especially in the categories of food, agriculture, dairy and cosmetics,” Winston Cheng, JD.com President of International said in a press release. “This office will help local products access that demand. We look forward to strengthening and promoting the trading relationship between these two great countries and China.”
The choice to locate in the State of Victoria is driven by opportunities presented for e-commerce business, including access to an abundant population of local suppliers, Australia’s only 24-hour shipping port, and a supportive local government.
JD’s largest partners and shareholders include Tencent and Walmart, operating 7 fulfilment centers and 405 warehouses covering 2,830 counties and districts across China.
StarFab inks partnership with TOP100 to accelerate AI growth in Asia – [e27]
StarFab runs a series of programmes designed to bridge the gap between corporates and startups.
From the TOP100 qualified applicants, StarFab will select 5 startups who will receive product development and testing support, connections to tap into local market access opportunities, and a committed US$100,000 grant from the Taiwan Government through the Taiwan AI x Robotics Accelerator (TAIRA).
Samsung chairman named as suspect in $7.5 million tax evasion case – [Reuters]
After the release of Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee from detention earlier this week, current Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee was named by South Korean police as a suspect in an 8.2 billion won ($7.5 million) tax evasion case, according to this report by Reuters.
This is not the first investigation for tax evasion for the elder Lee. In 2009, he was convicted and later pardoned for a different case of tax evasion.
Singapore businesses get support to invest more in ‘human capital’, grow digital capabilities – [Today Online}
Second Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo stressed that moving from a human resources to a human capital mindset will be key in Singapore’s new phase of growth, according to a report by Today Online.
In a forum organised by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), Teo gave the example of Sapphire, a programme launched last year that has been helping companies to enhance their competitiveness, with a keen focus on the human capital strategy. The forum also saw the launch of a new SNEFDigital initiative that aims to help companies adopt digital technology, equip their employees with digital skills, and build capabilities among human resource professionals.
MaGIC launches MasSIVE movement – [Press release]
The Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) has announced the launch of a movement to help cultivate regional impact driven enterprises (IDE) that drive inclusive economic growth.
Called MasSIVE (Malaysia’s Social Inclusion and Vibrant Entrepreneurship), the movement marks the next step in the nation’s journey in establishing a thriving IDE sector. The goal of the movement is to build coalitions of programmes aimed at IDEs to improve ease of access, forge collaborations between key stakeholders to accelerate industry growth, and help ignite policy changes to further ensure inclusion.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Malaysia on our journey to develop an impact driven enterprise sector that is self-sustaining, equitable, and people-centric, Ashran Dato’ Ghazi, MaGIC Chief Executive Officer said in a press release. “MasSIVE will bring together a coalition of impact partners with collaborative stakeholders to further develop the impact driven enterprise sector from within.”
Formerly better-known as social enterprises, IDEs are organisations that aim to create positive social or environmental impact that is financially sustainable. For Malaysia, engaging IDEs is one of way to address socio-economic disparities in the country and helping the country fulfil its national goal of enhancing inclusiveness towards an equitable society, pursuing green growth for sustainability, accelerating human capital development, and improving well-being for all.
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The post Today’s top tech news, February 8: JD.com launches Australia regional office appeared first on e27.