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KBTG organizes KBTG Techtopia, a major tech event featuring cutting-edge innovations
KASIKORN Business-Technology Group (KBTG) recently organized KBTG Techtopia for the second consecutive year. A thought-provoking and skill-awakening tech conference
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Les mer >>>AIS Winning the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024
AIS The StartUp won the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024 category for Best Brotherhood of the Year. This award, organized by the Thai government
The post AIS Winning the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024 appeared first on The Story Thailand.
Les mer >>>Lack of secure gen-AI workloads a big challenge for Asia, says AWS expert
One of the biggest security challenges facing Asia and the Pacific is that only one in every four businesses in the region have secured their generative artificial intelligence
The post Lack of secure gen-AI workloads a big challenge for Asia, says AWS expert appeared first on The Story Thailand.
Les mer >>>How True’s Mari is revolutionizing customer care with Gen AI
“Hello! Mari is happy to serve all customers. How can I help you today?” This is how True Corporation’s generative artificial intelligence greeted a customer
The post How True’s Mari is revolutionizing customer care with Gen AI appeared first on The Story Thailand.
Les mer >>>AIS launches AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship 2024
AIS collaborating with both public and private partners, AIS aims to support and create spaces for gamers and esports athletes to fully hone and showcase their skills.
The post AIS launches AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship 2024 appeared first on The Story Thailand.
Les mer >>>Amity Solutions and parent raise THB 2.2 billion Series C tobuild Thailand’s AI Champion
Amity Solutions (ASOL) together with Amity Corporation, its parent company, has successfully raised US$60 million (THB 2.2 billion)
The post Amity Solutions and parent raise THB 2.2 billion Series C tobuild Thailand’s AI Champion appeared first on The Story Thailand.
Les mer >>>MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary, introduces ‘Mu Mu-The Conductor’
MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary with the vision of “Music Excellence and Building Our Future Together”.
The post MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary, introduces ‘Mu Mu-The Conductor’ appeared first on The Story Thailand.
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- KBTG organizes KBTG Techtopia, a major tech event featuring cutting-edge innovations
KASIKORN Business-Technology Group (KBTG) recently organized KBTG Techtopia for the second consecutive year. A thought-provoking and skill-awakening tech conference
The post KBTG organizes KBTG Techtopia, a major tech event featuring cutting-edge innovations appeared first on The Story Thailand.
KASIKORN Business-Technology Group (KBTG) recently organized KBTG Techtopia for the second consecutive year. A thought-provoking and skill-awakening tech conference, KBTG Techtopia brought together over 70 speakers from around the world and more than 2,500 attendees, establishing itself as a leading platform for tech enthusiasts and Thailand as the destination for frontier technologies of Southeast Asia.
Ruangroj Poonpol, Group Chairman of KASIKORN Business-Technology Group (KBTG), stated, “following our success from last year, we opted for KBTG Techtopia at a much larger scale, moving the venue from our headquarters to central Bangkok. On 18 July 2024, we transformed the entire fifth floor of Samyan Mitrtown into a space where attendees could immerse themselves in emerging technologies and meaningful conversations. Although our primary focus is still AI, we chose to dive deeper beneath the trends, addressing more pressing matters as discussed on the global stage like risk management, national strategy, and AI ethics. Most importantly, we would like to demonstrate that AI will not reduce or replace human’s role. On the contrary, human’s significance will only increase moving forward, serving as the conductor to the orchestra. Always bring AI on the table but keep humans in the room.”
With this year’s theme being “A Blast From the Future”, not only were the topics curated to showcase new possibilities that near-future technologies can unlock, both to positive and negative effects, KBTG also invited Thai policy makers and representatives from global institutions to share their action plans and paint the visions of tomorrow together. One of the key speakers is Dr. Andrew Ng, the Managing General Partner of AI Fund, founder of DeepLearning.AI, co-founder of Coursera, and named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in AI.
In his keynote, Ng explained how AI is rapidly evolving into general-purpose technology, likening it to electricity. With new opportunities come risks, though he argued that the risks of AI lie in the application, not the technology itself. He further pointed out the areas in which AI could be applied in Thailand, namely tourism, healthcare, and agriculture. Ng’s appearance on the stage of KBTG Techtopia came after the strategic partnership announcement between AI Fund and KXVC, KBTG’s venture capital arm, with the aim to build new AI startups and strengthen connections between their robust ecosystems. During his visit, KBTG and Ng have formed two additional partnerships to drive AI education in Thailand:
- KBTG, DeepLearning.ai and the Artificial Intelligence Association of Thailand (AIAT) to create KBTG.AI Kampus program for developing Thai AI talents
- KBTG, AI Fund, and Equitable Education Fund (EEF) to explore AI technology solutions to help improve Thailand’s youth education system.
What differentiated this year’s conference is the variety of topics. Not limiting the subjects to AI, KBTG Techtopia touched on other emerging techs, from machine learning, blockchain, Web3, quantum computing, cyber security, ESG and many more, through the eyes of industry experts like Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, and Cisco. Additionally, we worked with The Secret Sauce, one of Thailand’s most popular podcast shows, to produce a half-day session featuring remarkable innovations and business cases by Thais, illuminating the actual potential Thailand holds. In total, the conference offered three conference stages, six workshops, as well as the innovation product exhibition zone with selections of state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge solutions by KBTG and partners, including KASIKORN VISION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY or K-Tech, KBTG’s China-based office who flew from Shenzhen to take part in this event.
Aligning with KBTG’s mission to promote AI literacy and support AI growth, all proceeds from ticket sales after deduction of expenses are allocated to the Artificial Intelligence Association of Thailand (AIAT) to support the development of OpenThaiGPT – a project aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the Thai large language model (Thai LLM) and improving its usability. Having sold out the on-ground tickets within the early bird period, KBTG has raised a total of 681,000 baht. This amount will be further contributed by the sales of rerun tickets.
Ruangroj said in closing, “KBTG Techtopia is a monumental step that KBTG took to drive and elevate technological advancement in Southeast Asia, as well as promoting Thailand as the destination for frontier technologies. Having brought prominent figures such as Ng to inspire thousands of people in Thailand, KBTG Techtopia has proven itself as the place to be for all tech enthusiasts. Next year is going to be even more amazing and we could not wait to take everyone on an exploration once more.”
Lack of secure gen-AI workloads a big challenge for Asia, says AWS expert
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26 July 2024Andrew Nghttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=134142 - AIS Winning the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024
AIS The StartUp won the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024 category for Best Brotherhood of the Year. This award, organized by the Thai government
The post AIS Winning the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024 appeared first on The Story Thailand.
AIS The StartUp won the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024 category for Best Brotherhood of the Year. This award, organized by the Thai government, is given to public and private organizations with outstanding achievements in promoting innovation and tech entrepreneurs in Thailand. It also aims to enhance the competitive capabilities of the Thai startup ecosystem, enabling sustainable growth and effective competition on an international level.
Somchai Lertsutiwong Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) said, “For over 10 years, AIS has been a digital service provider creating sustainable growth opportunities for startup entrepreneurs under the concept of Partnership for Inclusive Growth. This has proven our commitment to leveraging our internal capabilities, including technology platforms and knowledge from AIS and our group of companies, as well as connecting with partners and investors to provide marketing opportunities for sustainable growth of startups.
This is why we are extremely proud today to receive another prestigious award, the Prime Minister Award in the National Startup 2024 category for Best Brotherhood of the Year. It reflects our dedication and vision to drive and support startups, bringing ideas to the real business world through the creation of innovative new services that meet the needs of today’s consumers and customers.
We would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, through the National Innovation Agency (NIA), for recognizing the commitment of AIS The StartUp. We reaffirm our intention to continue working alongside all entrepreneurs. This not only strengthens the country’s economy but also supports the creation of innovations that add competitive value for Thai entrepreneurs to grow sustainably,” Somchai concluded.
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25 July 2024New Product/Servicehttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=134066 - Lack of secure gen-AI workloads a big challenge for Asia, says AWS expert
One of the biggest security challenges facing Asia and the Pacific is that only one in every four businesses in the region have secured their generative artificial intelligence
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One of the biggest security challenges facing Asia and the Pacific is that only one in every four businesses in the region have secured their generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) projects, says a security specialist.
Kimberly Dickson, Senior Worldwide Security Specialist of Amazon Web Services (AWS), said recently that most companies across Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) still have not focused on securing their generative AI projects.
“Only 24% report that they have secured their existing generative AI projects. This means that customers require access to tools that give them the confidence to run and secure generative AI workloads,” she said, citing her discussion with CEOs, CTOs and CIOs across APJ.
A recent AWS and IBM study found that only 24% of businesses in the region have secured, or are working on securing, their existing generative AI projects.
“Customers are excited about exploring generative AI and they want to know how to use it securely. They also want to know how to harness it to protect against other risks. However, the majority of companies are not yet focused on securing their generative AI projects,” Dickson said at the recent AWS pan-ASEAN virtual media briefing.
The expert added that a major challenge involves customers’ lack of understanding of how to secure generative AI apps or how to use the services. “I truly believe this is one of the biggest security challenges across our region today.”
Bridging skills gap
To help bridge that skills gap, AWS has trained over 50,000 individuals in cloud skills since 2017, with the target of reaching 100,000 by 2026, she said. In Thailand, it has partnered with Thai institutions of higher education including Chulalongkorn University to equip students with industry-recognized cloud certifications.
“We give an AI-ready initiative which offers free training courses on AI and generative AI for individuals with varying technical backgrounds in Thailand.”
Being aware of the cultural diversity in Southeast Asia, AWS provides more than 600 free courses on cloud skills in local languages, with 64 offered in Thai, according to Dickson.
She pointed out that to help Thailand tackle the big security challenge, AWS is investing 190 billion baht (US$5 billion) over the next 15 years in the country, with the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific (Bangkok) Region to cater to the growth of the cloud business.
The investment – first announced in October 2022 – includes capital expenditures on the construction of data centers, operational expenses related to ongoing utilities and facility costs, and purchases of goods and services from regional businesses, according to Amazon.
AWS, a subsidiary of the American multinational tech giant Amazon, provides on-demand cloud computing services from its data centers worldwide.
‘Most secure cloud for AI’
Dickson said at the media briefing that with additional new features of its services, AWS has become “the most secure cloud for generative AI”. Among the recent additions, launched at the AWS re:Inforce 2024 event in June, are Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS CloudTrail Lake, and AWS Audit Manager.
“We have the most secure cloud infrastructure globally, and we take an end-to-end approach to security that is implemented in everything that we do. We also have more than two decades of extensive experience innovating with AI and ML [machine learning],” she said. “At AWS, we are consistently raising the bar to ensure that customers benefit from added security.”
According to the AWS security specialist, customers now upload numerous terabytes and even petabytes of data into Amazon S3, its object storage service. She added that with the growing volume of data, it is highly important for global customers to be able to detect the potential presence of malware at the source without degrading the scale, latency and resiliency of Amazon S3.
Amazon GuardDuty, which is AWS’ machine learning threat detection service, has a new enhancement that helps customers detect threats within their environment, according to Dickson. “With malware protection for S3, this feature allows customers to automatically detect the potential presence of malware by scanning newly uploaded objects to Amazon S3 without having to build complex data scanning pipelines as well as leverage the built-in, industry-leading third-party malware scanning engines,” she said.
In the realm of identity and access management, AWS IAM now supports pass keys for second-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication, according to her. CloudTrail Lake supports natural language query generation and includes activity logs for users, for services as well as for machines. Audit Manager helps customers with compliance reporting and provides a best practice framework for customers to gain visibility on whether the generative AI workloads comply with controls around governance, data security, privacy, incident management, and business continuity planning.
Commitment to security
Dickson said customers are increasingly choosing AWS to build their AI applications because of its commitment to security. Also, customers are improving their security outcomes and building innovative generative AI applications on AWS.
“AWS is responsible for protecting the infrastructure that runs all of the services that we offer to customers in the AWS,” she said.
Dickson added that AWS provides a wide variety of best practice documents, encryption tools, and other guidance that its customers can leverage to deliver application-level security measures. Also, its partners offer hundreds of tools and features to help customers meet their security objectives.
“To apply these security configurations, customers should think about a defense in depth strategy, which is a set of layered security controls for all workloads, including generative AI. The goal of the strategy is to provide multiple layers of security around your data as well as your workloads. If one layer is compromised, the other layers will isolate, slow down or prevent a threat actor from moving laterally from escalating permissions or privileges, exfiltrating or manipulating that data, and so on,” she explained.
Automating routine tasks
Dickson also said that AWS employs generative AI to help security teams be more proactive and react faster to security issues. Generative AI can be used to automate routine tasks that enable security teams to do more within the limits of their resources. These simple automation tasks include summarizing threat intelligence and automating patching of servers.
Generative AI also helps level up security professionals at AWS, she added. “We see generative AI empowering our security teams from automating the mundane and upskilling security professionals while allowing customers to be more proactive or reactive.”
Also, generative AI can be used to allow human security analysts to search large amounts of data more easily using natural language queries. The expert explained that it can also improve the threat models by improving routine wording while looking at large volumes of highly technical threat intelligence and summarizing it so that humans can understand it more easily.
How True’s Mari is revolutionizing customer care with Gen AI
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24 July 2024Technologyhttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=134083 - How True’s Mari is revolutionizing customer care with Gen AI
“Hello! Mari is happy to serve all customers. How can I help you today?” This is how True Corporation’s generative artificial intelligence greeted a customer
The post How True’s Mari is revolutionizing customer care with Gen AI appeared first on The Story Thailand.
“Hello! Mari is happy to serve all customers. How can I help you today?” This is how True Corporation’s generative artificial intelligence greeted a customer during a recent demo of her newfound ability to converse naturally. The customer then went on to explain he’d like to change mobile packages. After a chat with “Mari” to understand his options, he was quickly able to subscribe to a new plan.
This kind of casual chat with a virtual service agent represents a revolution in customer service. Although automated digital customer services have existed for decades, they were often plagued with clunky interfaces, lengthy menus, or options that didn’t meet users’ specific needs. With generative AI, all this is set to make way for natural conversations.
At True Corporation, Mari is already assisting customers every day. But for a mobile operator like True Corporation, customer service information requires a very high degree of accuracy. Virtual agents must also somehow capture the brand’s personality, adjust their tone based on the speaker, and know which cases to hand off to human agents. To find out how Mari balances experimental technology with a need for precision, True Blog met with the teams pulling “her” strings behind the scenes.
The Mari Ecosystem
Mari is becoming a familiar face—or voice—for True’s 50 million customers. She greets visitors on the company’s website, can be reached by calling 1242 and can even be met in the real-world, in the shape of a humanoid robot. This constitutes a complex ecosystem with different AI engines best suited for each need.
“Mari is uniquely tailored to the different channels by which customers can reach customer service. Imagine you’re asking to compare price plans or devices, for example. Via chat, Mari could show you a table to compare a few different options—just like what a salesperson would do in a shop by showing you a pamphlet. But if a call center agent read out specs for five devices on a call, you’d hang up on them after 30 seconds. That’s Mari voice and Mari chat are not the same,” said Kiattisak Srimadee, Head of True Voice Department.
The True Voice team built the natural language processing engine of the call center’s Mari. But training and fine-tuning her responses was done by the call center itself. Thanachai Chuklin, who is head of the call center’s Strategy, Resourcing & Transformation Department said, “Getting the right tone and voice is very important in call centers. We’re quite happy with what we’ve achieved now but we’re still looking to improve. It takes a lot of testing to get the right intent, style and mood,” he said.
Compared to Mari voice, the chatbot version of True’s virtual service agent doesn’t require a voice engine. But it too must contend with exacting requirements for accuracy and tone. And both platforms also share the need to find the right customers—as not everyone is ready for generative AI.
“With COVID, we saw more and more people pushed to digital channels and they’ve grown increasingly comfortable with and accustomed to getting service online as opposed to visiting a shop or speaking to a human call center agent. But that doesn’t mean they are ready for Generative AI. We have to carefully assess their intent when they reach out to Mari. Very simple requests are best handled by click-through menus. If their needs are more complex, we can point them towards a generative AI,” said Napong Valaisathien, Head of the Digital Platform & Experience Department, the team driving Mari’s chat platform.
Growing Powers
When it comes to service, the gap between those who’d rather talk to humans versus those who prefer AI-powered virtual agents is closing fast. In a survey conducted during “AI Gets Real,” an event where True presented real-world AI use cases, 26% of respondents already say they prefer to chat online with a virtual agent versus 20% who would prefer to chat with a human agent. But when it comes to voice, 38% said they’d prefer to talk to a human agent, while 16% would prefer to speak with a virtual agent.
Thanyalak Suthijindawong, Senior Leader, Digital Platform, said, “We are constantly improving Mari’s chat capabilities. We start from the customer and then we brainstorm what we can improve from their perspective. We work very quickly, in two-week sprints, to bring out new features in collaboration with system analysts, developers, business analysts and quality control.”
Currently, the Mari chatbot already handles nearly 2 million contacts per month, with Mari handling nearly 90% of them and human agents handling the rest. Thaks to an accuracy of about 90-95%, Mari is able to beat global benchmarks for customer satisfaction.
Currently, the chatbot can resolve technical faults for home internet users, compare devices and assist customers wishing to change plans. Because the voice version of Mari uses a different engine, and the inherent difficulty of conveying complex information over the phone, the timeline of features is slightly different for the call center. But both versions of Mari are now live and used by real customers.
Kiattisak said, “Gen AI is a real challenge. From an ethical standpoint, we need to make sure everyone gets treated fairly. AI mistakes, or what’s known as ‘hallucinations,’ aren’t acceptable. We can’t have Mari offering price plans that don’t exist, or priced incorrectly. We need to be very cautious. That’s the hard part with AI. We need to be very accurate.”
In the future, it’s possible to even imagine Mari in shops. Veerasak Pongtanyavichai, Head of Innovation Center Department, has developed a humanoid robot version of Mari capable of conversing naturally. “For now, we plan for the Mari humanoid to be mainly a showcase of what’s possible. She can act as an ambassador for True at major events. But in the future, she could act as an assistant for salespeople in shops. Just like the chat and voice versions of Mari, her goal is to be helpful for everyone,” said Veerasak.
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18 July 2024Technologyhttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133620 - AIS launches AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship 2024
AIS collaborating with both public and private partners, AIS aims to support and create spaces for gamers and esports athletes to fully hone and showcase their skills.
The post AIS launches AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship 2024 appeared first on The Story Thailand.
AIS collaborating with both public and private partners, AIS aims to support and create spaces for gamers and esports athletes to fully hone and showcase their skills. The AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship 2024 by Dutch Mill, Thailand’s largest high school esports competition, will commence for the fourth consecutive year. Dutch Mill will be the main sponsor, alongside Taro Fish Snack and Garnier Acno Fight Foam.
This year, AIS has expanded its collaboration to include government agencies from 19 provinces nationwide, as well as educational institutions. This expansion aims to provide high school students interested in esports with the opportunity to compete and develop into professional esports athletes. The competition will continue to feature ROV, a popular MOBA game. Registration for the OPEN round is now available until August 13, 2024, leading to the qualifiers and the national championship, where participants will compete for total prizes worth over 200,000 baht.
Rungthip Jarusiripipat, Managing Director, Entertainment and Content Business Partnership at AIS, explained, “The global esports industry is rapidly growing, with a continuous increase in viewers and players, high prize competitions, and support from leading brands, making this market’s value increase every year. It is estimated that the global gaming market will be worth more than 1.1 billion dollars in 2024, with over 450 million esports viewers worldwide. With this upward growth trend, AIS recognizes the importance of supporting Thai youth to enter the esports industry by organizing high school-level competitions to train and develop the skills of Thai youth towards becoming professional esports athletes in the future.
The AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship last year saw participation from over 1,018 teams of high school students from 306 schools nationwide. This year marks the fourth consecutive year of the competition, and we continue to collaborate with our business partner, Dutch Mill, as the main sponsor. Additionally, we have partnered with government agencies from over 19 provinces to expand opportunities for students across the country to participate in this activity.”
Theerachai Laokosakul, Marketing Director Drink at Dutch Mill Co., Ltd., stated, “As the leading dairy products company in Thailand, Dutch Mill Group operates with a commitment to supporting and promoting youth health so they can achieve their dreams through beneficial products. We are delighted to be part of supporting the dreams of Thai children who love gaming and aspire to become esports athletes. This is another collaboration with AIS eSports to organize high school-level esports competitions to promote the Thai esports industry on an international stage.”
Interested schools can register for the competition at the website https://gameon.ais.co.th/esport/tournament or follow additional information on the Facebook page AIS eSports Tournament.
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18 July 2024AIS 5G eSports S Series Thailand Championship 2024https://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133618 - Amity Solutions and parent raise THB 2.2 billion Series C tobuild Thailand’s AI Champion
Amity Solutions (ASOL) together with Amity Corporation, its parent company, has successfully raised US$60 million (THB 2.2 billion)
The post Amity Solutions and parent raise THB 2.2 billion Series C tobuild Thailand’s AI Champion appeared first on The Story Thailand.
Amity Solutions (ASOL), a leading Thai software and generative AI (GenAI) developer, together with Amity Corporation, its parent company, has successfully raised US$60 million (THB 2.2 billion) in a Series C funding round, positioning itself to become a leading regional and global GenAI business. The company aims to play a key role in developing Thailand as a hub for GenAI development.
This significant investment will enable ASOL to bolster its Thailand-based ‘AI Labs,’ which builds and develops GenAI-powered applications. The funding will also support the company’s efforts to compete with regional and global players, as well as acquire synergetic companies overseas.
Korawad Chearavanont, Executive Chairman and Founder of ASOL, stated, “This funding round marks a pivotal moment for ASOL and for Thailand’s AI ecosystem. We hope that ASOL can play a role in helping Thailand become a global hub for GenAI innovation. Our vision is to leverage Thai talent and creativity to solve complex problems on a global scale using cutting-edge AI technology.”
Since early 2023, ASOL’s Al Labs has seen good success in enhancing end customer-facing software with GenAI. One notable example is Amity Bots Plus, an enterprise platform whose chatbot mimics human conversations through GenAI learnings, resulting in better customer service delivery and profitability. Within a year of its launch, its GenAI version not only saw an 8-fold growth in annual recurring revenue but also now accounts for 27% of the product line’s ARR.
While much of ASOL’s revenues, profit, and customer base are outside of Thailand, the company’s GenAI solutions are already live with many of Thailand’s leading businesses, including True Corporation, PTT, NokAir, and Charoen Pokphand Group (CPG).
The funding round breakdown is as follows:
- ASOL raised US$41.6 million (THB 1.52 billion), led by Insight Capital with participation from several other new and existing investors.
- Amity Corporation, the parent company, raised US$18.4 million (THB 681.41 million), led by existing investor SMDV, with participation from Gobi Partners and several existing investors.
- The financing includes debt, which was led and structured by Asia-focused private credit financier, AlteriQ Global.
ASOL has gained international recognition as the only business from Thailand and ASEAN highlighted by Satya Nadella at Microsoft’s global developer conference called ‘Microsoft Build 2024,’ for its groundbreaking work in GenAI.
The funding from international investors will ensure ASOL’s position as a leader in GenAI research and product development. In 2023, ASOL was spun out from Amity Corporation to prepare for its planned listing on the Thai Stock Market.
Keng Teik Koay, Group CEO at ASOL, added, “The confidence shown by our investors underscores the immense potential of GenAI and ASOL’s unique position to lead in this space. We are excited to accelerate our R&D efforts and expand our AI-powered solutions to serve more businesses in Thailand and beyond. This investment will allow us to attract top talent and acquire strategic assets, further solidifying our position as Thailand’s AI champion.”
Vantage Capital Markets HK Limited acted as the financial advisor to ASOL.
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17 July 2024Startuphttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133505 - MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary, introduces ‘Mu Mu-The Conductor’
MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary with the vision of “Music Excellence and Building Our Future Together”.
The post MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary, introduces ‘Mu Mu-The Conductor’ appeared first on The Story Thailand.
MCT celebrates its 30th anniversary with the vision of “Music Excellence and Building Our Future Together”. Notapol Srichomkwan and the newly elected board members introduce “MU MU”, the mascot of MCT to promote Thailand’s songwriting industry. As well as the announcement of the MCT Music Awards 2024 with special performances from ‘No One Else’ and Kow – Fellow Fellow’.
MCT or the Music Copyright (Thailand) Ltd. held its yearly gathering as well as the 30th-anniversary celebration of the organisation at the Grand Ballroom of Swissôtel, Ratchada, Bangkok, with the concept of “Celebrating 30 Years of Music Excellence and Building Our Future Together”. The concept reflects the joining together of artists in the music industry, with an emphasis on songwriters who are regarded as the wellsprings of the industry. The celebration aims to unite musicians and develop the industry’s potential for a brighter future.
This celebration commemorates the organisation’s journey from its inception, reflects on its successes throughout the years, and strengthens the relationships between artists in the industry. And celebrates the collaboration with other international organisations that have joined the event to congratulate this momentous occasion. Led by Mr Benjamin Ng, CISAC’s Regional Director of Asia-Pacific. Mr Chu Ga Yeoul, Chairman of KOMCA, Korea. JASRAC from Japan, MUST from Taiwan, MACP from Malaysia, VCPMC from Vietnam, MACA from Macau, FILSCAP from Philippines, COMPASS from Singapore, BUMA STEMRA from The Netherlands, and CASH from Hong Kong. Along with many well-known members of the music industry. All have joined together and celebrated the event with pride and joy.
This year, along with its 30th anniversary, MCT also held a member meeting to report the yearly revenues and the election of new chairman and board members to continue its important mission.
Notapol Srichomkwan (Kor) has been entrusted by the MCT members to be the board’s chairman for the third term, along with 11 new board members who will support and push Thailand’s music industry towards the future. These members include; Taron Liptapallop, Kachapak Poltanachot, Danuphop Kamol, Narongvit Techatanawat , Pongjak Pitthanporn, Sudkhate Jungcharoen, Trai Bhumiratna, Ittipol Saneewong Na Ayuttaya, Torpong Chantabubpha, Aurawan Wiratanapokin, andJacqueline Chong
Notapol gave a he artfelt thank-you speech to the members and reinforced the vision of MCT“If MCT is a person who is 30 years old, we are a middle-aged person who has passed our childhood and teenage years. We have been through thick and thin. And we have accomplished many good things for our industry. But I believe that we can still do much more”
MCT also introduces ‘Mu Mu-The Conductor’, the organisation’s new mascot, with the concept of ‘ALWAYS BESIDE YOU’ who will care for and support artist friends and help Thailand’s music industry soar ever higher into the international sky.
Furthermore, the event also includes the MCT Music Awards 2024 to commemorate, praise, and create inspiration for the artists in the industry. The awards include;
- The Lifetime Achievement Award, the winner is Somsian Panthong, Thailand’s music maestro.
- Rising Star Songwriter of The Year, the winner is Saran Maneechot (Ohm Saran).
- Popular Song Of The Year, the winner is ‘Sad Flower’ by Reinizra.
- Top Publisher Of The Year, the winners are Muzik Move Co., Ltd, What The Duck Co., Ltd, and Topline Digital Co., Ltd.
- Top Songwriter Of The Year award, the winners are Ratthaphong Phoorisit (YoungOhm), Olran Chujai, and Chaiyapol Reinizra (Tum).
The event closed with a special performance from ‘No One Else’ in which the band selected music from other inspirational artists to play with their twist, along with a surprise collab with ‘Kow, Fellow Fellow’,the singer of the hit song ‘Halley’s Comet’,to mix and match their style into a special version of the song that is exclusive to this event.
This 30th-anniversary celebration was a great success and reflects the power and friendship of Thailand’s music industry and their desire to develop and push forward into a bright future.
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15 July 2024The Movementhttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133457 - True Corp offers new debentures with interest rates of [2.85 – 4.30]%
True Corporation Plc, is preparing to offer five new tranches of debentures. The debentures will range from 1 year 3 months to 10 years
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True Corporation Plc, is preparing to offer five new tranches of debentures. The debentures will range from 1 year 3 months to 10 years, with fixed interest rates between [2.85% – 4.30]% per annum. The recent credit rating is maintained at an “A+” with a “Stable” outlook from TRIS Rating. This demonstrates True Corporation’s robust operational and financial strength in both telecommunications and digital technology businesses. The new debenture subscription is scheduled from August 27-29, 2024, facilitated by seven leading financial institutions: Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, CIMB Thai, United Overseas Bank (Thai), Kiatnakin Phatra Securities, and Asia Plus Securities. Sales will also be available through the TrueMoney Wallet app, with Bank of Ayudhya acting as registrar and debenture trustee.
Yupa Leewongcharoen, Chief Financial Officer (Co) of True Corporation Plc, mentioned that “The company’s operations in the first quarter of 2024, following the amalgamation into a new company, has surpassed expectations, focusing on sustainable profitability growth. The company is accelerating synergies from the amalgamation while promoting an organizational culture that enhances operational efficiency and revenue growth. Moreover, stronger revenue streams from mobile, online, and pay-TV services drove improvement in the financial performance when recognizing the benefits from the amalgamation and structural efficiency improvements has positively impacted to operational expenses. Our EBITDA has shown continuous growth for five consecutive quarters, with the first three months of 2024 showing a 21.3% increase compared to the same period last year and a 4.8% increase from the previous quarter. As a result, the company achieved a normalized net profit of 802 million baht in the first quarter of 2024.”
True Corporation has 51.1 million mobile subscribers, with 11 million users on 5G, marking a 4.7% increase quarter-on-quarter. It is the largest 5G network provider in Thailand, covering as much as 99% of Bangkok, its metropolitan area, and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), and covering 90% nationwide. This is showcasing continuous modernization efforts not only to enhance service quality but also to optimize energy consumption. This could contribute to achieving climate resilience target which is one important component of the company’s sustainability framework solidifying True Corporation’s position as Thailand’s leading sustainable telecommunications company, ranking the first globally in the DJSI 2023 for the sixth consecutive year in the telecommunications industry category.
The company and its debentures have maintained an “A+” credit rating with a “Stable” outlook from TRIS Rating Co., Ltd., as of July 11, 2024. This reflects its market leadership in the mobile and broadband internet sectors, bolstered by a nationwide network, comprehensive frequency bands, and a well-established brand name. Additional benefits are anticipated from post-amalgamation synergies, enhancing operational efficiency and positioning the company for further improvement in the future.
This debenture is public offering, with maturities ranging from 1 year 3 months to 10 years, catering to investors across all groups. The objectives of this issuance include using the funds raised to repay outstanding debts. The debentures are unsubordinated and unsecured with a debentureholders’ representative, and coupons are payable every 3 months. The debenture subscription period is scheduled to be during August 27-29, 2024, with a minimum subscription amount of 100,000 baht and increments of 100,000 baht. The issuance consists of 5 tranches as follows:
- 1st Tranche: 1 year 3 months tenor with a fixed interest rate of [2.85 – 2.95]% per annum.
- 2nd Tranche: 2 years 5 months 29 days tenor with a fixed interest rate of [3.45 – 3.55]% per annum.
- 3rd Tranche: 3 years 3 months tenor with a fixed interest rate of [3.65 – 3.75]% per annum.
- 4th Tranche: 5 years 3 months tenor with a fixed interest rate of [3.95 – 4.05]% per annum.
- 5th Tranche: 10 years tenor with a fixed interest rate of [4.15 – 4.30]% per annum, with a call option since the 5th year.
The company is currently in the process of filing a registration statement and draft prospectus, which are not yet effective and are pending approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Interested investors can find more details about the debenture offering and draft prospectus at www.sec.or.th.
For additional information, please contact the seven joint lead arrangers listed below:
- Bangkok Bank Plc, all branches (excluding Micro Branch), or call 1333, or book online via Bangkok Bank Mobile Banking.
- Kasikornbank Plc, all branches, call 02 888 8888 ext. 869, or book online via Kasikornbank (excluding foreign nationals and legal entities; available through main and branch offices of Kasikorn Securities Plc).
- Siam Commercial Bank Plc, all branches, call 02 777 6784, or book online via SCB EASY app, including InnovestX Securities Co.,Ltd as an agent of Siam Commercial Bank Plc.
- CIMB Thai Bank Plc, all branches, call 02 626 7777, or book online via CIMB Thai app.
- United Overseas Bank (Thai) Plc, all branches, call 02 285 1555.
- Asia Plus Securities Co.,Ltd., call 02 680 4004.
- Kiatnakin Phatra Securities Plc, call 02 165 5555, or book online via Dime! app, including Kiatnakin Phatra Bank Plc as an agent of Kiatnakin Phatra Securities Plc.
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15 July 2024Businesshttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133453 - orbix INVEST aims to have 2,500 clients and 1 billion Baht in AUM by the end of 2024
orbix INVEST, the third flagship firm under Unita Capital, has been launched with the concept, “Strategist for Kryptonian.” This digital asset investment expert
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orbix INVEST, the third flagship firm under Unita Capital, has been launched with the concept, “Strategist for Kryptonian.” This digital asset investment expert will assist in asset selection, investment strategies, and risk management in accordance with investment policies. The company aims to achieve 2,500 clients and 1 billion Baht in assets under management (AUM) by the end of 2024.
Dr. Tanapoom Damraks, Managing Director of orbix INVEST Co., Ltd., said, “The digital asset market has experienced continuous growth. In 2013, the market capitalization of digital assets stood at USD 1.6 billion. As of 2024, it has surged to USD 2.3 trillion, representing a remarkable growth rate of 140,000 percent (based on data of total digital asset market capitalization from CoinGecko). Compared to 2023, the market value grew by 35 percent. This tremendous growth followed the approval by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Bitcoin ETF and Ethereum ETF trading. This has led to broader acceptance of digital assets and increased trading volume, driven by purchases from funds. The move has attracted general investors by making it easier to access the digital asset world. Additionally, the technology transition from the Internet era to Web 3.0 – known as “The Next Era of the Internet” – is expected to bring about more intelligent and interconnected systems, creating significant opportunities for new businesses and investment possibilities.
By 2030, the digital asset market is projected to reach a value of USD 10 trillion. In Thailand, there are already more than 4 million people investing in digital assets, and there is still significant potential for further growth. Based on ongoing research, it has been found that those who want to invest in this asset class have two main priorities: understanding the digital assets they are investing in, and investing in reliable and trustworthy service providers.
Most recently, Unita Capital Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of KASIKORNBANK FINANCIAL CONGLOMERATE, launched orbix INVEST, a digital asset investment service provider that utilizes a strategic investment management approach. orbix INVEST boasts a team of experienced investment professionals who carefully select assets, manage investment management strategies and manage risks in accordance with investment policies.
The service operates under the concept, “Strategist for Kryptonian”, a crypto enthusiast’s expert assistant, aiming to address the needs of individuals wanting to invest in digital assets. orbix INVEST provides its services through a user-friendly mobile application that allows investors to easily track their investments, all in one convenient app. This platform simplifies access to digital asset investments and provides expert investment management assistance and ongoing support throughout the investment journey.
orbix INVEST adheres to three core principles in its service to investors:
- 1. Reliability: Empowering investors to engage with a reputable service provider – On January 3, 2024, orbix INVEST obtained a license from the Ministry of Finance for digital asset fund manager business under the supervision of the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, orbix INVEST has selected Coinbase, a globally recognized custodian that adheres to world-class standards, to safeguard its clients’ assets.2. Expertise: orbix INVEST has a capital management team, Kryptonian Strategist, with experience in capital management – including traditional and digital assets – for more than 20 years, thus allowing them to develop a myriad of investment strategies to meet the needs of a wider range of investors.3. Investor satisfaction: A dedicated customer support team is available to assist and educate investors. This team is tasked with offering investors advisory services and investment literacy via various company channels.
Additionally, to ensure that investors can achieve their set investment objectives, orbix INVEST has launched four investment strategy themes during the first phase. Two of these strategies focus on investing in a single asset, and the other two strategies involve investing in multiple asset classes as following;
- The Orbix Ultimate 10 strategy is designed for investors seeking to diversify risks by investing in large-size digital assets with strong fundamentals. This strategy is in alignment with the company’s investment framework, which employs both qualitative and quantitative factors for the selection of 10 digital assets. The investments are allocated based on the market capitalization of these assets.
- The Orbix Large-Cap Value Select strategy is tailored for investors who wish to invest at least 75 percent of their net investment value in large-cap digital assets. This proactive strategy is also intended for investors seeking higher returns, as the investment portfolio will be adjusted in line with market trends at a specific period when risk levels are high.
All are managed by a team of experts to provide diversified investment opportunities.
All investment strategy plans through the orbix INVEST application start with a minimum investment of only 5,000 Baht. Investors can easily open an account and verify your identity via K PLUS. Simply open an account and invest a total of 20,000 Baht during July 10-31, 2024, and investor will receive 200 Baht cash back credited direct to your own account, up to a maximum of 1,000 Baht (limited to 1,000 promotion offers). Additionally, all investor can access other benefits including articles about digital assets, participation in seminars organized by orbix INVEST, and many more, subject to the company’s terms and conditions.
Dr. Tanapoom Damraks noted in closing that orbix INVEST’s short-term goal is to become a platform for managing investment strategies that allows investors to experience digital asset investment with expert care, focusing on investors’ wealth empowerment in line with their risk appetite. orbix INVEST aims to acquire 2,500 users by the end of 2024 and expects to reach assets under management (AUM) of 1 billion Baht.
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10 July 2024Businesshttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133261 - True enhances mobile signal for Isan soft power events
True Corporation is moving forward to strengthen its 5G and 4G networks to support these significant traditional festivals in the Isan region, thereby bolstering Thai tourism.
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Ready to welcome a large influx of both Thai and international tourists to the annual 2024 Sri Sattanakaraj Naga Worship Ceremony, a must-visit event for spiritual enthusiasts in Nakhon Phanom Province, and the Phi Ta Khon Festival, renowned both nationally and internationally, in Loei Province. True Corporation is moving forward to strengthen its 5G and 4G networks to support these significant traditional festivals in the Isan region, thereby bolstering Thai tourism.
According to True Corporation, data usage nationwide grew by approximately 9% in May 2024 compared to the same period last year (YoY). In the Isan region, data usage grew by more than 3%. Additionally, the latest report from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for May estimates that Nakhon Phanom Province welcomed over 168k visitors, both Thai and international, while Loei Province saw over 154k visitors.
Prathet Tankuranun, Chief Technology Officer of True Corporation Plc., said, “We have meticulously planned and designed our network to handle the increased usage during these important festivals in Isan. We are particularly focused on reinforcing our signal for the Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon Festival in Loei and the Naga Worship Ceremony in Nakhon Phanom, which are culturally significant events attracting a large number of tourists.”
For the Phi Ta Khon Festival, held from July 7-9, 2024, in Dan Sai District, Loei Province, True has deployed special solutions, including mobile signal expansion vehicles (COWs) at key locations, temporary signal towers, and parameter adjustments to accommodate the increased demand.
“We are focusing on enhancing mobile network performance around Dan Sai District Office, where the parade starts, and along the parade route ending at Wat Pho Chai. We are also covering performance stages and surrounding areas to ensure seamless connectivity,” Mr. Prateep explained.
For the Naga Worship Ceremony, held from July 7th-13th, 2024, at the Naga Monument in Mueang Nakhon Phanom District, True Corporation has installed additional temporary signal sites to cover major tourist attractions and main activity areas, along with parameter adjustments to handle the increased network usage.
“We anticipate a large number of people coming to pay their respects to the Naga Monument. Therefore, we have made special preparations to ensure smooth network usage, whether for taking photos, sharing videos, or live streaming the event,” Mr. Prathet added.
True has also prepared a team of engineers to monitor and maintain network quality 24/7 from the Business and Network Intelligence Center (BNIC). Additionally, customer support is available around the clock through TrueMove H Care at 1242 and the dtac Call Center at 1678.
“The preparation of our network for these festivals not only enhances the mobile experience for attendees but also supports cultural tourism and promotes Thailand’s soft power to a global audience,” Mr. Prathet concluded.
With True Corporation’s advanced communication technology and services, attendees of these major Isan festivals can be confident in their ability to connect and share their memorable experiences via a high-performance mobile network throughout the events.
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10 July 2024The Movementhttps://www.thestorythailand.com/?p=133164