London, April 27 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The second edition of the annual World Citizenship Report, reveals how high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) and the mass affluent are in search of greater freedoms – whether that means being able to enjoy better social safety and security for oneself and family, increased access to better employment prospects and business opportunities or being able to live in territories with higher social and institutional stability – the post-Covid ‘normal’ has global citizens looking beyond the confines of their own borders when thinking about their own future, and the future of their families.
With so much change happening so rapidly around us – inflation, broader macroeconomic volatility, geopolitical instability, energy uncertainty – it can be challenging to keep up with how all these disparate factors coming to bear on the prevailing attitudes toward global citizenship. The World Citizenship Report is the world’s first-ever endeavour in investigating the value of citizenship through the lens of the global citizen. It answers how can we keep abreast of the shifting kaleidoscope of citizenship values and priorities using the World Citizenship Index, an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to rank the world’s citizenships across multiple dimensions. The World Citizenship Index is the product of a research-driven approach that goes beyond ordinary concepts of passport strength by placing greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. Unlike other rating tools, the World Citizenship Index ranking is designed to reflect a citizenship’s value through the lens of the newest generation of global citizens: the mass affluent population. Biggest motivators to invest in alternative citizenship include quality of life, safety and security and financial freedom The World Citizenship Report measures 188 countries across five motivators that are most relevant among the newest generation of global citizens – Safety and Security, Economic Opportunity, Quality of Life, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom. This year, the Quality of Life ranked in first position of the five pillars, overtaking both Physical Safety and Financial Freedom. Quality of Life looks at territories’ ability to provide its citizens with essential services required for a good standard of living, including higher standards of education and healthcare facilities. Monaco, Denmark and Hong Kong took the top three spots in the Quality of Life pillar. The United States came in at 29th position. African countries took the bottom 10 positions, with Somalia taking 185th place. We are unfortunately living through a period where the standard of living is falling at the fastest rate in over a generation. At the end of 2022, the UK Office for Budget Responsibility reported that UK households are set to suffer a 7.1 per cent fall in living standards over the next two years, the largest decline in six decades. And, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report published at the end of 2022, living conditions in 90 per cent of the world’s countries deteriorated in 2021 – something that hasn’t been seen since the height of the previous global recession caused by the financial crisis in 2007. Moreover, it marked the first consecutive year of decline in the 32-year history of the Human Development Index (HDI). This data shows why quality of life is so highly coveted among global mass affluents, and indeed all individuals. The Safety and Security motivator assesses how people in a certain country have the ability to enjoy greater social safety and security for themselves and their families and whether they have a safety net against being trapped in a territory with civil disorder. Iceland took first place in the Safety and Security motivator, New Zealand came a close second place and Switzerland took third place. Afghanistan scored the lowest in this pillar. Safety and Security remains an obvious top priority for the average mass affluent global citizen. This comes as no surprise given the uncertain state of the world – one need to look no further than the war in Ukraine as a painful reminder of the relative fragility of peace. Western nations now have a growing preoccupation or sense of danger around the prospect of war, having an active war so close to home compared with conflicts in Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world. The Financial Freedom motivator measures the ability of a country to provide a favourable and stable regulatory climate for the establishment and functioning of businesses, as well as the holding of personal and business assets. Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore took the first three spots in this pillar. The growing desire for citizens to conduct their own financial affairs such as wealth management and estate planning without undue surveillance and burdensome regulations appears to be a feature of the current economic climate. While 43 per cent of World Citizenship Report survey respondents placed the heaviest emphasis on the employment opportunities typically associated with economic performance, those that placed importance on investments, estate planning, and wealth planning combined for a total of 37 per cent. These sentiments reflect the growing perception that the rising costs of living and broader economic uncertainty are being accompanied by a creeping tax burden as state expenditures continue to escalate due to rocketing debt-servicing costs brought on by a tightening monetary landscape, rapid demographic changes, and other factors. It must also be noted that governments themselves are being stressed by this tightening fiscal landscape due to the rising costs of servicing their debt – a factor that is fuelling the trend of rising tax burdens globally. “In the 2022 edition of the World Citizenship Report, we only surveyed high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), this year, we expanded the survey to include a wider audience in order to gain a better perspective of what people prioritise in terms of their own nationality. The expanded audience of over 1000 participants included both HNWIs and the mass affluent from across the globe. Findings from the survey showed that while the research participants came from varied backgrounds and cultures, all with different needs and pain points, they all had one common goal: freedom,” concludes Micha Emmet, CEO of CS Global Partners. PR CS Global Partners CS Global Partners +44 (0) 207 318 4343 [email protected] Source: CS Global Partners --BERNAMA
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HONG KONG, April 27 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 26, 2023, CBL International Limited (NASDAQ: BANL) (the “Company”) has filed with Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) the Form 20-F Account Report for the audited consolidated annual results of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) for the year ended December 31, 2022 together with comparative figures for the year ended December 31, 2021. Please see below the financial highlight. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHT · The Group’s consolidated revenue from sales of marine fuel increased by approximately $136,365,000 or 41.8% to approximately $462,906,000 in 2022 from approximately $326,541,000 in 2021, mainly attributable to the increase in the marine fuel price but partially offset by the slight decrease in our sales volume of marine fuel. · The Group’s consolidated gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2022 was approximately $9,125,000, an increase of $1,534,000 or 20.2%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, driven by increased gross profit per ton of marine fuel sold with an effect of $1,832,000, partially offset by a decrease of volume in the amount of $298,000. · Net income increased by approximately $116,000 or 3.3% from approximately $3,569,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021, to approximately $3,685,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022. · Basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share is approximately $0.17. · Total shareholders’ equity of the Company increased by approximately 43.7% to approximately $12,112,000. For details of the account report for the year ended December 31, 2022, please refer to https://investors.banle-intl.com for Form 20-F Annual Report filed with SEC on April 26, 2023. For more information, please contact: CBL International Limited Email: [email protected] Source: CBL International Limited --BERNAMA KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) – Tokyo-headquartered Sanrio Company, Ltd (Sanrio) announced it has signed sponsorship agreements with Japanese female skateboarders Momiji Nishiya and Yumeka Oda, effective April 21.
According to Sanrio in a statement, through these agreements, the company hopes to support young athletes in their challenges and strengthen its corporate brand in North America and other global markets. As part of the agreements, both athletes will use decks with Hello Kitty and Sanrio logo stickers to compete in various tournaments and competitions, starting with one of the world's most prestigious, premiere action sporting events, "X Games Chiba 2023" which will be held from May 12-14 in Chiba, Japan. Nishiya was born on Aug 30, 2007, in Osaka, Japan and is the first gold medallist in the TOKYO 2020 Skateboard Women's Street event. At the same time, she became the youngest Japanese skater ever to win a gold medal at the age of 13 years, 10 months. She started skateboarding at the age of six, influenced by her older brother, and within seven years of starting to compete, she joined the ranks of the world's top-class skaters. With the motto of "smile and have fun until the end," she has won the world's most prestigious contests such as X Games and Dew Tour, and is also eager to create video parts on street skating. Meanwhile, born on Oct 30, 2006, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Oda started skateboarding at the age of seven. In 2022, she represented Japan at the Pro Tour organised by World Skate. She also won in Street League Skateboarding, the most prestigious competition in the world, and scored 9.4, which is the highest score for a single trick in women's history and the first time in women's skating history to score in the nine-point range. The disappointment of missing out on TOKYO 2020 has propelled her to be one of the leading candidates of the next generation who are expected to achieve great things at the next Games. -- BERNAMA SHENZHEN, China, April 27, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--
The Guangming Science City Forum 2023, hosted by the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government and organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Shenzhen Municipal Science, Technology and Innovation Commission, and Guangming District People's Government, will be held on April 27-28 in Guangming District. The forum has the permanent theme of "Guangming: Building Dreams for the Future", and the keywords for this year's session are "Creating Ideas", "Setting Sail" and "Pursuing Dreams". With a global vision, it has extensively invited high-level experts, including renowned domestic and foreign scientists, representatives from world-renowned international science cities and institutions, scholars from universities in Hong Kong, Macao, and high-level professionals from various fields of technology, education, and industry. Bringing together top intellectual resources from home and abroad, the forum will discuss the forefront of scientific and technological development trends, and jointly assume the responsibility of leading innovation. As an important part of the pioneering area for the National Comprehensive Science Center in the Greater Bay Area, Guangming Science City has become the region with the most concentrated layout of major scientific and technological innovation carriers, the most rapid aggregation of innovative momentum, and the largest scale of investment in comprehensive innovation. The collective efforts towards construction have become increasingly robust. Open communication is the gateway to discovering the forefront of science. As Guangming Science City hastens its journey to become a world-class scientific hub, there is a pressing need to establish a comprehensive and internationally-renowned platform for high-end exchanges, expanding the scope of domestic and international technological cooperation. In response to this need, Shenzhen has decided to hold the annual Guangming Science City Forum, creating an elite arena for the exchange of ideas that will attract the finest intellectual resources from both domestic and international spheres. On this platform, distinguished professionals from the realms of science, education, and industry will jointly engage in profound discussions, cultivate innovative thought, and collaborate in elevating the original innovation capabilities of the Greater Bay Area. The forum will adopt a "1+9+3" format, i.e., one main forum, nine parallel forums, and three supporting events. The main forum will feature a series of keynote speeches delivered by academicians and experts at the forefront of technological innovation. Additionally, there will be several significant events, including the inauguration ceremony for major scientific and technological infrastructure, the unveiling of important foundations, and the sharing invitation ceremony for significant scientific and technological infrastructure. The nine parallel forums will include the following: The Scientific Apparatus Planning, Construction and Operation Innovation Forum, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Collaborative Innovation Forum, the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Application Seminar, the Fourth Engineering Biology Innovation Conference, and the Materials Science Forum, among others. Three supporting activities, including a natural music concert, a rowing challenge, and a leisure cycling tour, will be organized to provide a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for the attendees to socialize. This forum will invite renowned scientists from both domestic and international communities, representatives from related institutions of renowned science cities, as well as notable entrepreneurs and representatives from investment organizations. Distinguished academicians will deliver keynote speeches on the forum's theme, and experts and entrepreneurs will share their insights through reports, dialogues, and other means. This is the first time for Shenzhen to host the Guangming Science City Forum. In the future, Shenzhen will make it an annual scientific event with core values and global influence. The main venue of this forum, the Guangming Science City, is located in the eastern part of Guangming District. In July 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology officially approved the Guangming Science City-Songshan Lake Science City area as a starting area for the construction of a comprehensive national science center in the Greater Bay Area. Over the past five years, Shenzhen has rallied its resources to achieve the goal of building a world-class science city, and the development of Guangming Science City has accelerated at an unprecedented pace. With 24 major scientific and technological innovation platforms settled, two university campuses or transitional campuses officially put into use, and nine major scientific and technological infrastructure projects, two provincial key laboratories, and 11 scientific research platforms being expedited, Guangming Science City is poised for rapid growth. Looking ahead, Shenzhen will continue to promote the development of a world-class science city by elevating its scientific activities, creating a favorable environment for innovation, and injecting new momentum into the city's high-quality development. Source: Shenzhen Municipal People's Government --BERNAMA KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- A new study from Juniper Research, foremost experts in payments, revealed that carrier billing spend will reach US$122 billion globally by 2027, rising from US$70 billion in 2023. (US$1=RM4.42)
In a statement, Juniper Research said this growth of 74 per cent over the next four years will be driven by carrier billing expanding beyond content and into physical goods and ticketing. The market-leading report assesses key verticals across digital content, physical goods and services, and ranks carrier billing spend by the following top verticals, in 2027 which are Digital Games (34 per cent); Digital Videos (25 per cent); Physical Goods (21 per cent); Ticketing (seven per cent); Digital Music (six per cent) and Other (seven per cent). Carrier billing is a mobile payment method which allows users to make purchases by charging payments to their mobile phone carrier bill. Whilst digital games and video will account for almost 60 per cent of global carrier billing spend by 2027, the report identified digital ticketing as the fastest-growing area, a key focus for carrier billing platforms and operators over the next four years driven by Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) subscription platforms. The report identified Japan as being a market of particular interest. Whilst accounting for only two per cent of global mobile subscribers, it will represent 12 per cent of global carrier billing spend by 2027. A preference for cash amongst consumers and concerns about using payment cards online will drive users to increasingly adopt carrier billing. As such, the report urged carrier billing platforms to accelerate their partnerships with online retail merchants, enabling retailers to offer carrier billing payment solutions, and additionally benefit from Japan’s higher-than-average carrier billing spend. -- BERNAMA |
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