Trust in tech firms entering the financial sector is strong and rapidly improving to close the gap with traditional banks in Asia Pacific where 77 percent already prefer accessing their banking services via digital channels. According to the research firm Forrester, banks continue to lead in trust rankings regarding consumers’ […]

The Australian dollar has risen Thursday, buying 67.59 US cents from 67.11 US cents on Wednesday. Yesterday, the local currency hit a 10-year low of 66.77 US cents after New Zealand’s central bank cut the country’s cash rate by a larger than expected 50 basis points. The Aussie was trading […]

Danish footwear brand Ecco is returning to the Philippines through a shop-in-shop concept at SM malls. The brand has launched spaces at SM Store Makati, SM Store Mall of Asia, and SM Megamall’s third floor Bridgeway Building. The openings are part of the label’s strategy to continue its expansion in […]

Retail sales in Indonesia declined 1.8 percent in June, compared with an annual growth rate of 7.7 percent a month earlier, a central bank survey showed on Thursday. The last decline from a year earlier was in January last year when retail sales also dropped 1.8 percent. The survey predicted […]

Longtime Victoria’s Secret chief marketing officer Edward Razek will resign following months of negative PR centered on his comments about plus-size and transgender models in a Vogue interview. Edward Razek, who has personally selected the lingerie brand’s models for more than 15 years, said in the interview that such models […]

Standard Chartered has launched a Shanghai-based innovation lab to tap China’s tech market and improve its own capabilities. The eXellerator innovation lab in China alongside others in Singapore Hong Kong, London, Kenya, and San Francisco are part of the bank’s SC Ventures unit, a research and development arm focused on […]

Southern Taiwanese restaurant The Salted Plum has opened its second outlet in Suntec City. The outlet features a spacious dining area with a street ambiance, a self-service system and new dishes exclusive to the venue. The brand, which serves tapas-style Taiwanese dishes, began as a pop-up called FiveTen before launching […]

The Philippines’ SM Investments has achieved 14-per-cent sales growth in the first half-year, its retail division up by 10 percent. Profit for the half-year rose 27 percent, with banking and property divisions driving most of the growth. The company said SM Retail  – which at the end of June had […]

low-cost carrier AirAsia could still face fines for charging passengers additional processing fee for card and online banking transactions. This comes right after AirAsia Group CEO, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes had announced that the airline will scrap the processing fee beginning October 2019. The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) had made it compulsory for […]

Cebu Pacific early Thursday announced a seat sale promo for all domestic and international flights. Passengers can avail of the P88 one-way base fare for local flights while one-way base fare for international flights starts at P888. Booking period is only available from Aug. 8 to Aug. 9, the airline said. Travel […]

Burberry Bespoke has launched its first standalone counter at Takashimaya. Located on Level 1 of the shopping mall, the counter is designed in the style of ‘an English bar set in a gentleman’s club’, with green-colored marble top and brass fixtures. There is a collection of nine fragrances created by […]

Chinese online giant JD has become the largest shareholder in e-commerce platform Tiki Vietnam. JD has bought a 25.65-per-cent stake in the business, taking its shareholding past that of previous leading investor VNG Corporation, which holds 24.4-per-cent ownership in the platform. VNG has invested US$22.4 million in Tiki over the […]