Latest news with #SoutheastAsia-based
Bangkok Post
06-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Reinvention in the Second Curve era
Let's be honest. The world is moving too fast for anyone to coast. Your skills? They could be outdated next quarter. Your business model? It might already be obsolete. Your identity? It could be the very thing holding you back. Welcome to the Second Curve era, where staying relevant isn't about climbing higher. It's about knowing when to leap sideways. What is the Second Curve? It's that bold decision to evolve before you're forced to. It's the pivot from success that's safe to meaning that's magnetic. It's what separates those who ride waves from those who get wiped out. Coined by Charles Handy, the Second Curve used to be a leadership theory. Now it's a survival strategy. And everyone from Bangkok tech founders to retired Silicon Valley execs is living it right now. Who's Reinventing? A Thai hotelier in his 60s just shut down his flagship property and turned it into a remote work wellness hub for digital nomads. His words? 'The tourists are different now. So I had to be too.' A former Southeast Asia-based fast-moving consumer goods executive left her C-suite post to launch a food sustainability startup that went viral on TikTok. Her audience? Gen Z and global investors. Middle managers at multinationals are flipping roles — becoming micro-influencers, internal coaches or AI-savvy product strategists because no one gets promoted just for keeping things running anymore. This isn't theoretical. It's happening on the streets of Sukhumvit, in the coffee shops of Ho Chi Minh and across boardrooms in Singapore. Reinvention is the new resume. Why Now? AI didn't take your job — your comfort zone did. Post-Covid clarity has people questioning old definitions of success. The over-60 crowd isn't retiring. They're rebooting. The 25–44 group isn't waiting. They're reclaiming. The timeline for transformation? Not 10 years. Not even two. It's now. How to Start Your Second Curve 1. Call your own bluff: If you're bored, stuck, or silently resentful, don't fake it. Face it. That's your signal to evolve. 2. Bet on experiments, not overhauls: Launch a side project. Test a new skill. Say yes to a stretch role. The second curve starts with micro moves, not massive exits. 3. Audit your identity: Are you leading like it's 2015? Selling like it's 2010? Thinking like it's 2000? Reinvention starts with awareness. 4. Join the bold: Surround yourself with people who are building new futures — not defending old ones. Growth is contagious. Thailand's Second Curve Moment Thailand is no exception. With the rise of smart manufacturing, AI-driven services and cross-border collaboration, the old playbooks won't cut it. We're not just shifting industries. We're shifting identities. And the companies and leaders who win in this era will be the ones who choose to reinvent before the world demands it. So here's the truth no one wants to say: You don't have time to wait until you're irrelevant. The second curve is already here. And the brave ones are already on it. Are you? Arinya Talerngsri is Senior Vice President, Local Partner and Managing Director at BTS Thailand (formerly SEAC), part of the BTS Group, a leading global strategy implementation firm. She is passionate about revolutionising education and creating opportunities for Thais and people worldwide. Executives and organisations looking to collaborate or learn more about leadership development, talent development, succession planning and organisational transformation can contact her directly at or visit her LinkedIn profile.
Business Wire
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
DoveRunner Expands Offerings With New Indonesia Region to Strengthen Data Sovereignty and Compliance
JAKARTA, Indonesia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to the growing demand for regional data processing and heightened regulatory requirements, DoveRunner is excited to announce the launch of a data processing and storage solution in Indonesia. Starting today, DoveRunner customers can now maintain their data—including APKs, console metadata and account information—within Indonesia, ensuring stronger alignment with the country's data residency laws and improving overall data security. Because data localization continues to be a central consideration for businesses in Asia, Indonesia's GR71 and Personal Data Protection (PDP) law have set the standard for how organizations must handle local data. With increasing pressure to comply with local data residency regulations, it is essential for businesses to process and store data within their jurisdiction to avoid compliance risks. "As the demand for data sovereignty continues to grow across Southeast Asia, we are proud to support businesses in Indonesia by providing a secure, compliant and high-performance regional infrastructure,' says James Ahn, CEO of DoveRunner. 'Our new Indonesia region selection reflects our commitment to helping organizations meet evolving regulatory requirements while empowering them to innovate and grow with confidence." The Indonesia region selection offers several key benefits: Enhanced data sovereignty: All data, including APK analysis, telemetry and account metadata, will remain within Indonesia, fully complying with local data laws. Improved performance and latency: By offering a regional processing node within Indonesia, DoveRunner ensures the Jakarta region delivers faster data processing and reduced latency for Southeast Asia-based customers. Seamless integration with local governance: Businesses can easily switch to the Jakarta region through the DoveRunner platform to align with internal data governance and jurisdictional needs. This expansion comes on the heels of DoveRunner's recent rebranding and the merger of its flagship products, PallyCon and AppSealing, under one organization dedicated to security. With more than 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, DoveRunner strives to make security a solution rather than a stopgap, enabling organizations to continue innovating in an increasingly data-driven world. DoveRunner offers complete mobile application and content security solutions that are designed for how the world works today—across applications and across devices—because we are all digitally interconnected.
Int'l Business Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Bridging Fintech and Freight: Insights from Albert Lie on Payment Infrastructure in Global Supply Chains
Albert Lie, the co-founder and CTO of Forward Labs, is making waves in the logistics and fintech industries by applying the very lessons learned in the digital payments sector to the world of freight and supply chain management. With an impressive background in scaling successful startups, including Xendit—a Southeast Asia-based unicorn that has raised billions in funding—Lie is now setting his sights on revolutionizing logistics through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven automation. This feature delves into the innovative strides that Albert Lie is making in transforming how freight companies manage their sales processes and operational efficiency. By applying fintech principles to logistics, Lie's work promises not only to streamline global supply chains but also to contribute significantly to the broader global economy. The Intersection of Fintech and Freight In the world of fintech, transactions are processed at lightning speed. Payments, which were once cumbersome and prone to delays, are now processed in seconds, thanks to the infrastructure that companies like Stripe and PayPal have built. Albert Lie's experience at Xendit, Southeast Asia's version of Stripe, allowed him to witness firsthand the dramatic impact that seamless, automated payment systems can have on a business's growth trajectory. However, when Lie transitioned to the logistics sector, he discovered a critical issue—despite technological advancements in global trade and supply chains, many logistics companies still relied on outdated processes. The friction and inefficiencies that plagued financial transactions were also present in the freight industry. In fact, some logistics sales teams were still manually sifting through static databases, cold-calling prospects, and struggling to find the right leads, often wasting up to 70% of their time on ineffective tasks. Lie realized that by leveraging the lessons learned from fintech, he could offer logistics companies a game-changing solution—one that would automate the time-consuming processes and allow sales teams to focus on what really matters: closing deals. His vision for Forward Labs is to create a platform that mimics the best aspects of digital payments but tailored specifically for logistics sales teams. Building the Future of Logistics Sales Automation At Forward Labs, Albert Lie and his team are developing an AI-powered search engine that indexes and structures fragmented logistics data. By automating the prospecting process, the platform surfaces high-intent shippers based on real-time data, eliminating the need for tedious research and guesswork. Just as fintech platforms like Stripe revolutionized payments by creating reliable, efficient systems, Forward Labs is set to transform the way logistics sales operations function. The technology Lie is building is groundbreaking. The platform's AI engine automatically enriches data from multiple sources—such as warehouse satellite images, carrier networks, and freight activity signals. In fact, the AI doesn't just surface basic information; it intelligently filters and prioritizes leads based on a variety of dynamic data points, such as a company's shipment history, revenue, and operational scale. By turning logistics prospecting into a data-driven, AI-powered activity, Forward Labs is doing for the logistics industry what fintech giants like Stripe and PayPal have done for financial transactions. "Sales reps are not data analysts," Lie explains. "That's why our platform does the heavy lifting—automatically collecting, structuring, and prioritizing leads—so sales teams don't have to spend hours sorting through fragmented, unstructured data." This AI-driven approach is especially crucial as logistics sales teams face increasing pressure to perform in a competitive and fast-paced industry. The integration of fintech-inspired solutions can improve the bottom line of freight companies by making their operations faster and more efficient, thereby reducing friction in their sales process and driving higher conversion rates. A Disruptive Technology with Broad Economic Impact The ripple effect of applying fintech lessons to logistics is profound, not just for sales teams but for global supply chains at large. Logistics plays a critical role in the global economy, with the sector contributing an estimated $8.1 trillion to global GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank. Yet, inefficiencies and delays in freight management still cost companies billions annually. According to McKinsey, logistics costs account for 11-13% of GDP in most developed countries, and the sector loses an estimated $1.5 trillion annually due to inefficiencies. With forward-thinking solutions like the AI-powered prospecting tool from Forward Labs, companies in the logistics space can significantly reduce these costs. As logistics firms become more data-centric and automated, they can scale operations faster, reduce overheads, and ultimately provide better services to their customers. This has the potential to not only drive profits for logistics companies but also boost productivity across the entire global supply chain. Lie is focused on leveraging the data revolution taking place within logistics, offering a glimpse into the future of an industry ripe for transformation. The goal is to make the supply chain as efficient as possible, which, in turn, can improve the overall global economy by reducing delays, optimizing routes, and ensuring goods are delivered on time. The Road Ahead for Forward Labs and Logistics AI Looking forward, Lie and his team are set to expand the capabilities of their platform, pushing forward with innovations such as a smart algorithm that recommends the next best lead, similar to Netflix's recommendation system. They are also working to integrate deeper verticals, adding real-time enrichment signals to improve lead quality and embedding directly into logistics-specific databases and proprietary data sources. As they continue to scale and refine their platform, the potential for AI-driven sales intelligence in logistics is limitless. With the backing of top investors in both AI and logistics, Forward Labs is well-positioned to make a lasting impact on the logistics industry. The company is also already in discussions with major freight brokers, 3PLs, and logistics teams in North America, with early signs of explosive growth. Lie's personal journey from a small-town freight driver family in Borneo to a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur reflects the same grit and determination that he applies to his professional endeavors. Having helped scale a fintech unicorn in Xendit, he is now channeling his knowledge of payments infrastructure into the logistics industry—a move that promises to change the game for global supply chains. Forward Labs is on a mission to become the "Google for logistics sales," automating prospecting to such an extent that logistics teams can focus entirely on closing deals rather than searching for leads. This shift represents a massive leap forward in the logistics sector, bringing it into the modern, data-driven age that has already transformed other industries. In the near future, Lie believes that the synergy between fintech and freight will only grow stronger. As global supply chains become more interconnected, AI-driven technologies will serve as the backbone, optimizing every step of the logistics process—from sales and customer acquisition to the final mile delivery. The lessons from fintech have clearly found fertile ground in the logistics sector, and as Forward Labs continues to grow, so too will the impact of these innovations on the global economy.
Zawya
27-01-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Soybeans at one-week low on Argentine tax cuts; wheat, corn down
SINGAPORE: Chicago soybeans slid for a second straight session on Monday to their lowest in almost one week, as Argentina's decision to lower grain export taxes raised expectations of higher supplies form the South American country. Wheat fell more than 1%, although the decline was limited by cold weather causing damage to the U.S. winter crop, while corn slid for a second straight session. "The market is expecting higher exports from Argentina, which is bearish for prices," said one Southeast Asia-based trader. "Prices had earlier rallied on worries over adverse weather, the market is now giving up some of those gains." The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) fell 1.4% to $10.41-1/4 a bushel by 0231 GMT. Earlier in the session it slid to $10.40 a bushel, the lowest since Jan. 21. Wheat gave up 1% to $5.38-3/4 a bushel and corn dropped 1.2% to $4.80-3/4 a bushel. Argentina's unexpected cuts to grains export taxes will likely trigger a surge in shipments from the country, analysts said, while longer-term it could boost production in the South American country, a major supplier of soy, corn and wheat. Higher supplies of agricultural products from Argentina are likely to boost competition in the global market for rival exporters, including the United States. Argentina is the world's top exporter of processed soy oil and meal, the No. 3 exporter of corn and a major producer of wheat. Its farmers have faced hot, dry weather in recent weeks that hurt harvest prospects and contributed to rising international corn and soybean prices. The Buenos Aires Grains Exchange cut estimated yields for soybean and corn crops last week. Light rains forecast over swathes of the country in the coming weeks are not expected to significantly slash dryness. The drop in wheat prices is being curbed by extreme U.S. weather. Frigid temperatures this week likely killed as much as 15% of the winter wheat crop in parts of the U.S. Plains and Midwest, the Commodity Weather Group said on Friday, in an ominous sign for U.S. wheat production. A blast of Arctic air covered much of the United States earlier this week, sending temperatures plunging across key wheat areas that have seen limited snowfall this winter. In news, China's suspension earlier this month of Brazilian soybean exports from five companies after cargoes did not meet plant health requirements will last two months, a top Brazilian agriculture official told Reuters on Friday. China suspended imports from the five companies on Jan. 8 and Jan. 14 after cargoes failed to meet Chinese import standards. The five suspended units are part of operations that accounted for over 30% of the more than 73 million metric tons of soybeans that Brazil exported to China in 2024. However, other units of the same companies have not been suspended. Large speculators raised their net long position in CBOT corn futures in the week to Jan. 21, regulatory data released on Friday showed. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's weekly commitments of traders report also showed that noncommercial traders, a category that includes hedge funds, trimmed their net short position in CBOT wheat and cut their net long position in soybeans. (Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
