Accredited Singapore investors can go digital with Jachin Capital

• Jachin Capital enables direct investment in stocks in different countries with iAdvisor

• Twenty-eight portfolios representing diverse investment themes contain securities listed in different countries 

• In June 2015 a portfolio of 14 SGX-listed real estate investment trusts (REITS) and property stocks was successfully executed on iAdvisor

Jachin Capital, an independent fund manager in Singapore, has received a Capital Markets Services Licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. With the licence, Jachin Capital can now offer its digital investing platform – iAdvisor – to all accredited investors in Singapore. The company offers investment management solutions on a discretionary and nondiscretionary basis to accredited investors and private family offices based in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Starting from an investment theme or idea, Jachin Capital constructs portfolios based on a transparent rules-based framework. The portfolios are regularly reviewed and rebalanced.  For example, an investor can decide that the Chinese online consumer represents the wave of the future, choose to nvest in Jachin's China Online US portfolio and receive one-click access to investing in a basket of 20 US-listed Internet-related stocks domiciled in China, such as Alibaba and Baidu. 

Currently, iAdvisor boasts 28 portfolios with themes ranging from banking to security, robotics and driverless cars. The underlying baskets for each theme are stocks listed in five countries. This platform has been used by Jachin Capital for almost two years to manage its clients’ investments and has proven to be robust. Jachin Capital’s SMART Real Estate Singapore portfolio presently gives an annual dividend yield of 5% for example. 

Joyce Woo, founder and CEO of Jachin Capital said: “We are pleased that the Monetary Authority of Singapore has approved our application for a Capital Markets Services Licence to offer our iAdvisor platform in Singapore. We started our journey in 2014 with the belief that investors should have an efficient way of investing directly in the underlying stocks when they want to put their money into an investment idea. We also believe that investors should be empowered by knowledge. Thus, iAdvisor provides investors with 24x7 access to everything they need to know about their portfolios such as risk indicators, performance metrics and P&L*. 

“We are also glad to contribute to Singapore’s exciting, evolving fintech sector,’’ added Woo, who has extensive experience in private banking. iAdvisor was developed in collaboration with Hong Kong-based B2B fintech firm Quantifeed. Quantifeed provides digital wealth management solutions in Asia Pacific, with clients in Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. 

Quantifeed CEO and co-founder Alex Ypsilanti, said: “Wealth management is rapidly progressing towards a more digital future and Quantifeed is at the forefront of this movement. Jachin Capital uses our technology and portfolio expertise to provide an engaging and personalised online investment experience to customers. Our partnership enables Jachin Capital to deliver wealth management at an affordable price and be a digital leader in the market.”

With iAdvisor:

 Investors can choose the type of portfolios they want to invest in 

 Expert Management Portfolios are constructed by Jachin Capital based on a transparent rules-based framework and regularly reviewed and rebalanced 

 At the click of a button, investors can invest in the underlying securities that make up the portfolio  Investors know which securities they have invested in and can monitor the risk and performance of the portfolio anytime, anywhere and on any device 

 There are affordable minimum investment thresholds and fees 

*Profit and loss.

Dropbox introduces new productivity tools

Source: Dropbox website.

Dropbox is making it easier to create, share, and collaborate with new features:

The plus button enables the creation of new Microsoft Office files, photo uploads, or scans directly via the Dropbox app on the iPhone.

The Dropbox badge identifies who else is working on the same Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files to avoid losing or duplicating work. Microsoft co-authoring allows users to collaborate on Microsoft Office files online in real time, eliminating back-and-forth emails. Collaborators can comment anywhere on an image or document.

Collect files in a single folder from anyone, without granting them access to its contents. Dropbox allows previews of Excel, Photoshop, and PowerPoint files—even without the apps.

Secure sharing controls who can view or edit a file or folder, and version history recovers edits made to files in the last 30 days.

Interested?

View the associated video

Paid carpooling in Singapore takes off

Source: RYDE.

RYDE, a carpooling mobile application, says it has thousands of new members joining its network in the the months since its soft launch.

RYDE uses GPS technology to match drivers and riders going the same way. The app recommends a dollar amount where the rider splits the cost of the trip with the driver.

Terence Zou, founder of RYDE says, “Our goal is to transform transportation through innovation; making it sustainable, affordable and a sociable experience. Our rapid growth shows that Singaporeans accept carpooling as a viable option."

Source: RYDE. Zou.

According to research conducted by the National University of Singapore in August 2015, 500 people working in Central Business District were asked two questions: were they willing to carpool with strangers to work and were they willing to pay for it, and two-thirds said yes to both. More recent focus group studies conducted also revealed that majority of drivers are willing to share their rides and most people feel that carpooling is safe in Singapore. The three primary motivations cited for carpooling is cost efficiency, eco-friendliness and the social experience.

The Singapore government is also supportive of the sharing economy, and recently passed laws in March 2015 to allow drivers to make two paid carpool trips per day.

RYDE is committed to safety and believes that trust is key for “sharing” to occur. To this end, drivers are required to upload four documents for verification via the app - profile and images of the car, driving licence and certificate of insurance. Riders may choose to verify their profiles to increase their chances of a match. Members review each other after every trip, allowing RYDE to improve the user experience and keep the network safe.

Interested?

The app is available on iOS through the App Store and on Android in the Google Play Store

posted from Bloggeroid

Top 10 global consumer trends for 2015 deal with multitasking and sharing

Source: Euromonitor.

The top 10 global consumer trends for 2015 have been unveiled today by market research company Euromonitor International.

According to Euromonitor’s Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2015 report, consumers are time-poor, seek convenience, greater choice, global availability and instant gratification. What they want is to maximise their time and money by finding products and services that combine multiple needs. For example, a Swedish taxi company offers in-car therapists, priced at US$165 per hour, for their stressed and time-pressed users.

“Post-recessionary consumers are prepared to pay for products that simplify their hectic on-the-go lives,” said the report’s author and Euromonitor Consumer Trends Consultant, Daphne Kasriel-Alexander. “Technology plays a big part in attaining convenience, and omnichannel shopping options creates a seamless link between virtual and 'real world' shops with wide consumer appeal.”

According to the report, this year will also see a rise in collaborative consumption and a culture of sharing products and services, something mainstream brands are already reacting to. For example, clothing brand Patagonia has partnered with eBay to redistribute pre-owned items. The sharing mindset has given rise to a plethora of collaborative endeavours from community gardening, to grouped workspaces, and sharing via crowdfunding.

“In 2015, the sharing economy is growing and disrupting the way in which individuals think of space and ownership. Consumers are increasingly preoccupied with access to goods rather than owning them outright,” said Kasriel-Alexander.

The Top Global Consumer Trends of 2015:

• Buying Convenience
• Malls and Shopping Centres in Community Mode
• Privacy Matters
• Consumption as a Route to Progress
• Influencers: More Like Us
• Let’s Share: The Rise and Rise of Lightweight Living
• Millennials
• Shopping the World
• Virtual to Real and Back: A Smoother Convergence
• Wired and Well: Connected Health

Read the report here.