Category: Uncategorized

One-of-a-kind feature that guarantees the original foreign currency exchange rate for a certain period

TOKYO, Oct 8, 2020 – JCB Co., Ltd., Japan’s only international payment brand, and NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, announced today that they will conduct a demonstration test for JCB Mobile Wallet (tentative name), a one-of-a-kind feature that guarantees the original foreign currency exchange rates for a certain period. JCB and NTT Com personnel will participate in the test, which will be conducted until the end of November, prior to the scheduled launch of commercial services in Japan and other Asian markets next year.

The multifunctional app, which enables users to instantly create JCB brand virtual prepaid cards, provides a range of useful services, including cashless payments, mobile remittances, account settings and map-based searches for JCB merchants, for the convenience of international students, businesspeople and international residents in Japan. Features include:

– Multi-Currency
Users can exchange home currency to 22 other currencies, with the choice of either a real-time rate or a guaranteed period rate. Guaranteed period rates are a one-of-a-kind feature. Any currency not used within fourteen days is exchanged back at the original rate.

– Multi-Account
Multiple sub-accounts are offered for families and businesses. For example, a parent could charge up the sub-account of a child studying abroad with money whenever needed, 24/7. For corporate accounts, companies can easily manage the balance of sub-accounts when employees travel overseas on business.

– Multi-Service
Many useful services are bundled with the app, such as reserving restaurants and taxis.

The demonstration will be used to confirm the functionality and practicality of the app’s user interface and user experience for various functions and services developed by JCB and NTT Com. It will also test NTT Com’s system for the Home Currency Anywhere®, which manages rate-guaranteed foreign currency information comprehensively and quickly by leveraging NTT Com’s API Gateway as a Service to centrally manage the APIs of Home Currency Anywhere® and other services.

The new app will be compatible with mobile contactless payment systems and other payment environments in many countries and regions using Near Field Communication, QR codes and linkage to credit cards.

In the future, expanded functionality will be realized through the planned incorporation of NTT Com’s Wallet Exchange® service to enable online transfer and management of electronic money in various currencies. Also, the measures will be incorporated to ensure that JCB Mobile Wallet offers robust security for customer transactions.

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes 34 million merchants in the world. JCB cards are now issued in 24 countries and territories with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

About NTT Communications

NTT Communications solves the world’s technology challenges by helping enterprises overcome complexity and risk in their ICT environments with managed IT infrastructure solutions. These solutions are backed by our worldwide infrastructure, including industry leading, global tier-1 public and private networks reaching over 190 countries/regions, and more than 500,000m2 of the world’s most advanced data center facilities. Our global professional services teams provide consultation and architecture for the resiliency and security required for your business success, and our scale and global capabilities in technology world are unsurpassed. Combined with NTT Ltd., NTT Data, and NTT DOCOMO, we are NTT Group.

– Website: www.ntt.com
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/nttcom
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nttcomtv
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ntt-communications

Contributing to higher semiconductor performance through excellent step coverage and improved film formation speed

TOKYO, Sept 30, 2020 – TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka) announced today that TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), which operates the TANAKA Precious Metals manufacturing business, has developed a new liquid ruthenium precursor named “TRuST” for CVD[1] and ALD[2] processes. The vapor pressure of “TRuST” is more than 100 times higher as compared to that to previous liquid ruthenium (element symbol Ru) precursors[3], which is currently the world’s highest vapor pressure value at room temperature as per TANAKA’s internal evaluation.

During this precursor development, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo focused on material design and synthesis research, while Professor Soo-Hyun Kim, Ph.D., School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering at Yeungnam University in South Korea, researched to optimize the film formation characteristics.

Technologies developed through this collaboration will help increase performance and reduce energy consumption for the semiconductor devices used in smartphones, computers, and the data centers where demand is to grow well into the future.

Precursors are metal-organic compounds used in chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD) and other processes to form thin metal films or metal wiring on substrates. CVD and ALD processes enable the formation of films with superior step coverage on various types of base substrate. These are useful methods for forming films as semiconductors become increasingly miniaturized, with increased structural complexity, and narrower wires with every new generation.

TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo has developed a range of precious metal precursors over the years, including ruthenium precursors. This time, computer simulation and other techniques were used to achieve miniaturization and optimization of the molecular structure. This resulted in the successful development of a precious metal compound in a liquid form, with high vapor pressure, and thermal stability suited for film formation, all of which are important characteristics for precursors. As a result, this compound has the world’s highest vapor pressure over 100 times higher than that of previous liquid ruthenium precursors. The higher the vapor pressure of precursors and the smaller their molecular structure, the higher the possible concentration of precursor in the film formation chamber, and the greater the adsorption density of precursor molecules on the substrate surface. Compared to previous precursors, this achieves excellent step coverage and improved film formation speed.

According to research carried out at Yeungnam University, ALD film formation at approximately 1.7 angstrom (A) per cycle is possible, which is the world’s fastest of its type using liquid ruthenium precursor. Also, specific resistivity after film formation is approximately 13 microhm-cm, which is close to the value of bulk ruthenium metal (7.6 microhm-cm).

When bulk ruthenium is used for vapor deposition, with a temperature as high as 3000 degrees C. However, if it is converted into an organometallic compound of ruthenium precursor, it can be vaporized at low temperatures (between room temperature to 200 degrees C) under vacuum. As a result, the formation of high-quality ruthenium film with excellent step coverage at high productivity is expected. This has been an issue in the past because it is technically difficult to achieve all these characteristics at the same time. With the development of “TRuST” however, it is now possible.

Samples of Shipments of “TRuST” should begin shipping samples are planned to start in October 2020.

Background and TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo’s development of precursor for CVD/ALD processes

In the past, the most common wiring materials used for semiconductors were copper, tungsten and cobalt. However, as semiconductors have evolved, there are increasing expectations for the precious metal ruthenium to promote further miniaturization of semiconductors because of its lower resistance and higher durability. With its superior characteristics, ruthenium is also being considered for use in transistor gate electrodes and DRAM capacitor electrodes.

The progress of technologies such as IoT, AI, and 5G over recent years has led to rapidly increasing volumes of digital data used in clouds, smartphones, and computers. Therefore, the need for even greater miniaturization of semiconductors is increasing to enable the creation of devices with higher performance and lower energy consumption. As a specialized manufacturer of precious metals, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo will continue contributing to this evolution of semiconductors through the development of high-quality semiconductor materials.

With the support of Professor Soo-Hyun Kim, from the College of Engineering at Yeungnam University, a researcher from TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo will give a presentation of this technology at the “International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) 2020”, which will be held online from October 5-8, 2020. The title of the presentation is High-growth-rate atomic layer deposition of high-quality Ru Using a Novel Ru metalorganic precursor.

[1] Chemical vapor deposition (CVD): CVD is a chemical film formation method. It is a method of forming thin metal films on the surfaces of base materials or substrates through a chemical reaction induced and accelerated by directing energy, in forms such as heat, plasma and light, at gaseous vapor material fed into a reaction chamber at pressures between atmospheric pressures to medium vacuum pressures (100-10-1 Pa).
[2] Atomic layer deposition (ALD): Both CVD and ALD are film formation methods that use chemical reactions inside reaction chambers to deposit material onto substrates through the vapor phase. The main difference between the two methods is that while CVD continually forms atomic and molecular layers, ALD forms the layers intermittently one layer at a time.
[3] Precursors: Precursors are compounds used as the raw material for forming thin metal films and metal wiring on substrates.

TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. (Holding company of TANAKA Precious Metals)
Headquarters: 22F, Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Koichiro Tanaka, Representative Director & CEO
Founded: 1885
Incorporated: 1918*
Capital: 500 million yen
Employees in consolidated group: 5,138 (FY2019)
Employees: 221 (March 31, 2020)
Net sales of consolidated group: JPY 1,149,604 million (FY2019)
Main businesses of the group: The holding company at the center of TANAKA Precious Metals responsible for strategic and efficient group management and management guidance to group companies.
URL: https://www.tanaka.co.jp/english/
* TANAKA Holdings adopted a holding company structure on April 1, 2010.

TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.
Headquarters: 22F, Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Koichiro Tanaka, Representative Director & CEO
Founded: 1885
Incorporated: 1918
Capital: 500 million yen
Employees: 2,393 (as of March 31, 2020)
Sales: JPY 992,679,879,000 (FY2019)
Main businesses: Manufacture, sales, import and export of precious metals (platinum, gold, silver, and others) and various types of industrial precious metals products.
URL: https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com

About TANAKA Precious Metals

Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a diversified range of business activities focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and resources. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies within and outside Japan work together with unified cooperation between manufacturing, sales, and technological aspects to offer products and services. Additionally, to make further progress in globalization, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo welcomed Metalor Technologies International SA as a member of the Group in 2016.

As precious metal professionals, TANAKA Precious Metals will continue to contribute to the development of an enriching and prosperous society.

The five core companies that make up TANAKA Precious Metals are as follows.
– TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. (pure holding company)
– TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.
– TANAKA Denshi Kogyo K.K.
– Electroplating Engineers Of Japan, Limited
– TANAKA Kikinzoku Jewerly K.K.

Press release in PDF: http://www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/20200930.pdf

– China’s first consumer CBD store set to open on Alibaba’s Tmall

MUNICH, Sept 26, 2020 – Nordic Cosmetics GmbH (“Nordic Cosmetics”), a subsidiary of Nordic Oil, the top-selling European CBD product manufacturer, and Asia Horizon Group Inc. (“Asia Horizon”), a trailblazer in China’s emerging CBD industry, are pleased to announce the launch of Nordic Cosmetics’ flagship e-commerce store on Tmall, the business-to-consumer online retail platform operated by Alibaba Group. This store is the first CBD flagship store approved on the invite-only Tmall platform.

The launch aims to bring the numerous benefits of CBD skincare products to the 1.4 billion Chinese consumers who have not had access to premium CBD skincare products until now. The e-commerce store will offer a selection of Nordic Cosmetics’ premium CBD skincare products directly to Chinese consumers. Products include a face serum, day and night creams, anti-aging cream, moisturizer, and body butter, all produced to industry-leading standards thanks to Nordic’s extensive experience in CBD. Nordic Cosmetics aims to help consumers feel good in their own skin, using high-quality ingredients and carefully tested formulas to bring premium skincare products to consumers.

Nordic Cosmetics CEO Dannie Hansen said about the launch: “We are excited to partner with Asia Horizon to distribute our Nordic Cosmetics products in China. Just as we have seen such positive responses to our skincare products in Europe, we expect Chinese consumers to similarly be delighted by our unique, innovative skincare offerings across popular categories.”

Asia Horizon CEO Brian Sheng added: “China is the world’s largest skincare market, representing nearly 20 per cent of worldwide skincare purchases. Through our collaboration with Nordic, we are building the foundation of what we expect will be a tremendous demand for CBD consumer products in China.”

About Nordic Cosmetics
Nordic Cosmetics is the cosmetics-focused subsidiary of Nordic Oil, the market leader in Europe’s CBD market with more than 250,000 customers of its wide range of CBD products including oils, topicals, concentrates, e-liquids, and pet products. As one of the most innovative, pioneering and experienced CBD brands in Europe, Nordic offers an extensive range of products and continuously pushes the barriers of CBD usage. For more information please visit: www.nordicoil.com

About Asia Horizon
Asia Horizon is building Asia’s first global cannabinoid licensed producer as the first and only US company to secure a license from the Chinese government to process CBD from hemp in China. The company is developing a large-scale, low-cost EU-GMP-compliant production facility to supply cannabinoids to a growing global market, and providing early-mover entrance to the nascent domestic Chinese market for cannabinoid products. For more information please visit: www.asiahorizongroup.com

Ellie Stevenson
ejs@nordicoil.com

Oil Price, a British Company, has released a research report about the situation with oil in Libya.

London, UK, Sept 26, 2020 – Oil Price, a British Company, has released a research report about the situation with oil in Libya. Ahmed Maiteeq, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, arrived in the capital of Turkey to take part in a series of working meetings. Last week he announced the creation of a Joint Commission to control oil revenues and ensure the fair distribution of these revenues in accordance with the principles set out.

According to a document that he published, this Commission would manage the distribution of revenues from Libyan oil export and the main functions of the Joint Commission will be to form a budget that is fair from both sides’ point of view and to oversee the implementation of agreed expenditures. The Commission will perform its functions until a new unified government of Libya is elected. As a result of it the National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC) announced that the status of ‘force majeure’ had been removed from the “safe” fields and ports.

Libya’s economy is entirely based on oil production. Recall, that production in Libya plummeted to less than 100,000 barrels a day in January from 1.2 million. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. forecasts that Libya’s output will rise to 550,000 barrels daily by the end of the year (Bloomberg: https://tinyurl.com/y2kvg9qx)

Experts note the role of Maiteeq, Libya’s former prime minister, in the peace settlement in Libya. Previously, he had been on more than one occasion with diplomatic missions in different parts of the world, from Washington to Moscow. During a visit to Moscow in June 2020, Maiteeq predicted a decrease in the intensity of the conflict, and it was realized. And this is Maiteeq, who is responsible for peaceful talks between conflicting parties in Libya. (OilPrice.com: https://tinyurl.com/y544ob9f)

Stuard Reed
director of corporate communications
press@oilprice.com
tel +44 0203 962 5740
website www.oilprice.com

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept 26, 2020 – SOCAR – the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic – is now the main gas supplier to Turkey. A year ago Azerbaijani gas was in 4th-5th place in the Turkish market, now we are in first place, which is very important for us and for Turkey, because gas provides energy security for any country.

Just 20 years ago, our country did not even think about the role of main gas exporter to one of the largest gas markets in Europe. The situation in Azerbaijan has changed a lot in recent decades. Azerbaijan’s role has increased globally, and not only in the oil sector. – President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

The first step towards establishing SOCAR as one of the world’s gas suppliers was the signing of a contract on September 20, 1994 between the Government of Azerbaijan and eleven international companies representing six countries, for the development of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields. Called the “Contract of the Century”, this agreement became the basis of the oil and gas strategy laid down by Heydar Aliyev. Revenue from this contract has exceeded $150 billion.

In 1990, SOCAR was a national Azerbaijani company with a small global production level, but 20 years later it has become a respected player in the world oil market. Over the years, SOCAR has turned into a large oil and gas company with business in Switzerland, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, UAE, Russia, and other countries.

Turkey occupies a special place in SOCAR’s investment projects, where the company bought a large petrochemical complex Petkim, built a STAR refinery, and is developing a transport and logistics direction. In addition, the company has a wide business in Georgia, owning a network of gas stations and gas distribution networks.

According to the company’s most recent audit report, SOCAR’s turnover in 2019 was $50 billion, with 93% of this turnover coming from operations in the foreign markets.

“Oil workers have always enjoyed great respect in Azerbaijan. This is the case today; the work of oil workers is real heroism. The profession of an oil worker is respected and at the same time risky, dangerous, I want to reiterate that their work is real heroism,” said Ilham Aliyev, who worked himself for 9 years in SOCAR, in giving such a high assessment to the oil workers.

And the oilmen deserve special attention in this matter. On September 20, Azerbaijan celebrated Oil Workers’ Day, recognizing the people who ensure the flourishing of the Azerbaijani economy with their experience, hard work, health, and sometimes even lives.

Media contact:
Mamed Gasanov
SOCAR, The Republic of Azerbaijan
Email: Gasanov@socar.az | www.socar.az

New global survey looks at future digital transformation efforts of finance and IT leaders amid pandemic and beyond

Sept 25, 2020 – Trintech, a leading global provider of integrated Record to Report software solutions for the office of finance, today released a study evaluating organizations’ use of ERP systems and financial software during the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact. Nine out of ten respondents said they experience challenges with the financial close process, with the top challenges being 1) a time-consuming process, 2) the risk of experiencing manual errors, and 3) under-supported to achieve their goals.

A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Trintech surveyed 336 finance and IT leaders globally on challenges experienced in digital transformation efforts. Respondents reported their organizations’ processes and strategies are rife with challenges due to data accuracy and lack of collaboration. However, there are opportunities for organizations to pinpoint their problem areas and utilize modern technology and strategic approaches to help propel themselves toward long-term success.

Key findings include:

– Complex environments cause challenges with executive collaboration and financial close technology. Organizations operate in complex ERP environments and use an average of nine different vendors and 18 instances across the enterprise globally which leads to disconnects in collaboration and communication among the C-Suite and other leadership stakeholders and trouble with data availability and accuracy. This increases the risk of financial misstatements and potentially incorrect insights. 44% of respondents cited errors due to manual processes as one of the biggest challenges during financial closes.

– Adopting advanced technologies can benefit the entire organization. Many organizations can benefit from supplemental financial close applications that work across this complex and disparate ERP environment while also introducing advanced technological capabilities such as AI that benefit the entire organization. Currently, CFOs spend almost 17% of their work week analyzing financial information and only 12% on business strategy-related activities. Advanced technologies can free up time and help CFOs spend more time on strategy.

– The financial close process will be overhauled in the age of AI. Eighty percent of respondents said AI will play a large or central role in their organization’s next wave of financial management technology. Organizations must take advantage of and invest in technologies like AI, robotics, automation, and risk management so the finance office can overcome its own challenges while leading the way in the organization for the ROI on these advanced technologies.

“Prior to the pandemic, we heard many business leaders say digital transformation is a priority, but too many overlook finance as a crucial and foundational element of this transformation. Investing in the right technology to maintain business continuity in a remote environment and beyond is no longer a “want”, it’s a critical need,” said Teresa Mackintosh, CEO at Trintech. “This survey revealed that complex ERP environments hinder the ability to produce necessary financial statements and track key metrics to get a true view of the business. Looking to supplemental solutions that integrate across these complex ERP environments to ensure data accuracy, automation, and collaboration in the C-Suite are paramount to ensuring long-term success for your organization.”

According to the study, “Finance teams are notorious for lagging behind their enterprises’ digital transformation efforts, though not for lack of trying. While many large enterprises focus on their technology teams, they overlook the transformational necessity of the finance teams, leaving them with outdated systems and frustrated employees and lacking skill sets. To effectively position themselves for long-term success, organizations must deliver on these increasingly challenging demands in the short run and find a way to manage the complexities that come with being an enterprise-level organization.”

Key Recommendations:

Growing pressures due to rising customer expectations, fast pace of change, and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic will force organizations to invest in modern finance solutions or face perilous consequences. This in-depth survey yielded several important recommendations:

– Organizations need to make bold investments in finance for business survival and growth. Decision makers must overhaul their current thinking and recognize that great finance systems – including clear visibility and controls – can make or break the business. Leaders need accurate, real-time financial information through streamlined financial close software to make important decisions about business health and investments.

– The right technology will bring consistency and automation to critical financial processes. Respondents said they prioritize integration, breadth, and automation when selecting financial software. These characteristics are critical to solving issues around fragmented data, inconsistent processes, and out-of-date information that can drag down business success.

– Make sure to invest in governance and CFO-CIO collaboration for best results. Leading organizations must combine people, processes, and technology for best results in modern finance systems. The technology is a starting point, but real success can only happen when key stakeholders are aligned and clear on roles and responsibilities.

– Push the limits of AI in core finance processes. All financial software aims to automate and reduce manual effort, but leading solutions are changing the game with real learning and intelligence. Go beyond the buzzwords and ask your supplier for real examples and references from customers who can speak to the power of real AI.

Please tune in to our webinar, “Leveraging Advanced Technology to Succeed in a Complex Financial Close”, on October 16th to hear more about our survey findings and recommended next steps. https://pr.report/6H-IMBOJ

About Trintech

Trintech Inc., a pioneer of Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) software, combines unmatched technical and financial expertise to create innovative, cloud-based software solutions that deliver world-class financial operations and insights. From high volume transaction matching and streamlining daily operational reconciliations, to automating and managing balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany accounting, journal entries, disclosure reporting and bank fee analysis, to governance, risk and compliance – Trintech’s portfolio of financial solutions, including Cadency® Platform, Adra® Suite, and targeted tools, ReconNET™, T-Recs®, and UPCS®, help manage all aspects of the financial close process. Over 3,500 clients worldwide – including the majority of the Fortune 100 – rely on the company’s cloud-based software to continuously improve the efficiency, reliability, and strategic insights of their financial operations.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Trintech has offices located across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Nordics, as well as strategic partners in South Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. To learn more about Trintech, visit www.trintech.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.