Posts Tagged ‘hsbc’
HSBC Brunei winding down operations
Press statement from HSBC’s Brunei website: Following a strategic review, HSBC will be winding down its operations in Brunei, which comprise retail, commercial and global banking services.
This is part of the Group’s global review of businesses and represents a significant step in HSBC’s stated goal to optimise its global network and reduce complexity, outlined during the HSBC Investor Update on 9 June 2015. This is not a reflection of the current economic environment in Brunei.
The wind down will commence on April 6, 2016, and HSBC Brunei will no longer take on any new accounts, facilities or business from that date. To minimise the impact or inconvenience to our customers, the process will be phased over time and HSBC Brunei will ensure that all existing obligations to clients are met.
HSBC Brunei will communicate with each of its customers over the coming months to provide them with specific details and requirements relating to their services and accounts with the Bank.
Any impacted staff are to be treated fairly and in line with our Group values and statutory requirements.
HSBC customers are encouraged to visit their local branch or call the bank’s service hotline on 2252252 to find out about how this impacts them. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. To read further on questions for customers related to HSBC, you can click here for their FAQs.
HSBC has been one of my main banks since Day 1.
HSBC Brunei celebrating their 60th anniversary, feting their staff and their families back in 2007.
What I feel: Sad, of course. Rumours have been circulating beginning of the year with regards to HSBC’s status in Brunei. I chose not to authenticate it until an official statement is released (or getting inside scoop). Hence, it was made official yesterday and plus with headliners in the today’s newspapers. This is the third international bank that I’m aware that had huge changes though UOB is still operational after the purchase by Baiduri Bank. The other bank being Citibank which closed its door back in March 2014.
I’ve been an HSBC customer for more than two decades now and it was also the first bank that I opened my personal savings account. So yea, I have a lot of sentiments on the breaking news from HSBC Brunei.
The “winding down” of HSBC Brunei would affected a few hundred HSBC (Brunei) employees and senior management personnels. It is also such an untimely manner as Brunei is experiencing economic downturn.
The exit strategy from HSBC has been a global approach. There were other markets that have been affected too. Furthermore, it seems that HSBC (globally) are on the defensive front after a string of scandals that hampered the World’s Local Bank reputation. It will be tough now for HSBC globally but I’m pretty sure they will climb back up again. As for Brunei, this could be a permanent goodbye after being in Brunei for 69 years.
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#GODZILLArocks
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Want to win a GoPro Hero 3+? Check out #kickItBrazil Peugeot Brunei competition. Competition starts 12th May. Click image to enter Facebook page for more details.
UBD Charity Carnival is just around the corner! Organized by FASS Community Outreach Programme, January 2014 and it will take place from Friday to Sunday, this weekend. Food, Entertainment, Clothing and also fun activities coming to you this weekend! They will be joined by RBTS, Gear FSC (Nerf), franchise as well as our local vendors!! Help them by showing your support to contribute ‘to the greater good’ by bringing your family & friends to our Charity Carnival!
HSBC home & Away is an existing global programme that offers exclusive year-round discounts to HSBC Credit Card customers at over 27,000 merchant outlets, in more than 160 countries and territories.
With the theme ‘Close Connections’, it provides opportunities for HSBC Credit Cardholders to reconnect with their families and friends through experience based offers across 13 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Brazil and United Arab Emirates.
HSBC Credit Cardholders can now spend quality time with their friends or their loved ones, by looking no further than HSBC global home&Away privilege programme giving opportunities on local dining and shopping offers from Pastamania, Saffron café, Shinobu Shabu-Shabu, Sushi Tei, Firoz Jaya Silk house and Nueva Boutique. Furthermore, with its overseas privileges, HSBC Credit Cardholders can have fun at the Dreamland Aquapark in UAE, Wild Life Sydney Zoo, and Slope Infinity – Hong Kong’s indoor ski and snowboarding deck which is the largest of its kind in the world. There are also trips away, where customers can share experiences such as the Singapore Formula 1 Night Race or the Superstar Virgo package with Hong Kong’s Star Cruise. Finally, for the food lovers, there is a variety of group dining options at premium hotels including the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta and The Peninsula Manila.
Check out these offers and discount from Brunei more through your desktop / mobile device at www.homeandaway.hsbc.com
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Last night, a commotion took place at The Mall at the ground floor. According to a witness, the man was running around and even pushed one of the person who was on duty, setting up a booth at the atrium area of The Mall. The guy was eventually taken into the custody of the police and escorted outside the building which I saw right after our Godzilla movie outing. Click image to watch a short clip of the guy being escorted.
Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank and Mr. Ti Eng Hui, Deputy CEO with members of the media. Taken from BT website.
An event I miss due to my DPMM FC coverage commitment. So here is the text taken from BT. Melodious songs from the 50s rang through the Mutiara ballroom of the Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam as Baiduri Bank Group celebrated its prestigious award-winning achievements with members of the local media yesterday.
Over 150 guests from various media agencies in the Sultanate as well as personnel from various government sectors such as Information Department and designing companies further vivified the dinner.
Attendees were treated to an evening of food, fun and exciting games such as sausage-eating, sundae-making, song-guessing, ball-shooting and best dress awards for both males and females.
For the lucky draw round, Fayezuana, a radio presenter from Kristal FM (KFM) bagged herself a Baiduri saving account with $2000 along with three others who brought home two iPad Minis as well as a Polaroid camera.
The rest of the guests did not go back home empty-handed as they receive instant dips.
Present during the dinner was Pierre Imhof, general manager of Baiduri Bank Group who delivered a welcoming remark thanking the local print media and television in Brunei Darussalam for their vital roles in disseminating information about their products and services to the public. “On behalf of Baiduri Bank Group, I would like to acknowledge you, the media, as a very important part of society, and as our partner in disseminating information about us to the public via your various channels,” he added. Also present at the event were Ti Eng Hui, deputy chief executive officer, as well as Dorothy Newn, head of Corporate Communication and Marketing. Text by Ikhwan Salleh of The Brunei Times.
Pierre Imhof mingling with the media
Pierre Imhof giving his welcoming remarks and thanking the media
Games, games, games
The hula-hula
Hakim and Siti of Borneo Bulletin
Aliya and Siti
AJ and Hakim, best dress during the event
Aziz and Syafiq of Borneo Bulletin
Posing for the camera
Smiling way back in the 50s
One of the fun games for the media
This was taken at last year’s Baiduri Bank Media Night appreciation with the Safari theme
This was taken at last year’s Baiduri Bank Media Night appreciation with the Safari theme
Shop online on Malppy.com
Malppy.com – Brunei’s online Fashion and Lifestyle store announces a refresh of its website with a brand new look whilst offering an enhanced shopping experience.
From its humble beginnings as a start up just a year ago, the company has seen growth and looking to expand further said, Founder Simon Soo.
The founder went said “We (Malppy.com) aim to provide consumers with the best online shopping experience through the new look featuring a clean, sleek design aimed at a global audience”.
The website includes enhanced features such as faster web browsing and an improved user-friendly interface. Taking into consideration the average consumer behavior, the site has simplified all the steps a shopper has to go through from online registration to check out.
Shoppers are also able to share their comments and rate products, a recommendation feature that is important in most international shopping sites. In addition, shoppers can also share what they like via social media, which is integrated in Malppy.com.
Other improvements to the website also includes a wish list, optional registration when shopping, the ability to compare products and detailed product information with more images for better decision making. It has recently added a European fashion line in addition to its current popular Eastern range. A Children’s section is now available due to popular demand as well. Exciting new ideas in the pipeline include collaborations with local and regional designers to promote Muslim wear in the near future. New product categories will be added in the coming months so check out Malppy.com today. Your online shopping begins here.
Shop online on Malppy.com
In conjunction with their first Anniversary on April, Malppy.com celebrated by giving its customers Free iPhone cover for all customer who spend more then B$50 in one single recipe as advertised in the Borneo Bulletin back in April 2014.
Malppy.com continues to expand its offerings by keeping up with the latest trends to cater to the market’s changing needs.
One friend that I know of that doesn’t stop creating or recreating new ideas to reality is Keeran Janin. Our friendship goes all the way back to the era of the RA6 (a disbanded clique) in the mid 2000’s where he was under the employment of b-mobile communications.
If I look back at all the things he has done up to this very moment, I’m just truly amazed of the array of things that he was able to pull off even though some didn’t turn out be successful. He is a great iconic technoprenuer (IT entrepreneur) for the young ones as some of us don’t really like to deal with failure.
In my recent interview with Keeran Janin, he shared some of his successes and failures in his IT adventure including his recent trip to the Silicon Valley where Keeran stayed there for three weeks to meet up with the technopreneurs and angel investors.
I could tell that Keeran was high in energy during the interview and there was so much that he wanted to share on his US trip where he self-funded himself and took that leap of faith and just go all out to meet different walks of life at the Silicon Valley. Honestly, I love the vibrancy of the Silicon Valley and both Keeran and I traveled there once back in 2008 and it was a memorable one for us. This time, Keeran meant business and he is ready to swim with the big fish.
Three weeks in the US is not a cheap feat and Keeran was smart enough to use most of his resources such as air miles (for a subsidized flight) and cheaper means of accommodation so he could make most out of his Silicon Valley trip.
Keeran Janin on one of his tour during visit at San Francisco recently
Keeran Janin and his friend at Lombard Street
Now the question is why did he travel there again for such a longer period? Maybe, just maybe, Keeran kinda felt that he hit the jackpot with his new creation called Chrends (or #chrends) which actually means Chatrooms for trending topics. The IOS app was developed earlier this year under his new company Chrends Sdn Bhd and it is still in its beta platform but it has been garnering pace in terms of subscribers. So he felt it is time to meet the big shots in the US and see what road lies ahead of him.
If you remember the days of mIRC, #Chrends kinda falls in that category but in an app version with a sleek and modern feel to it. Basically you can create rooms or channels and chat with others anonymously without the need to sign up with your profiles. I’ve been using it for a month now and I follow the ongoing conversations on the main channel where people share their thoughts on local issues and so forth.
So Keeran’s trip in the US was to pitch his prototype (#chrends) idea to potential investors and angel investors. He traveled from one spot to another and ended up pitching to at least 30-40 investors. I kinda know how it works in the US. It’s totally different than Asia. Sometimes you could sell your idea in just matter of a minute or two and kabooom, you land yourself a jackpot and the investor will pump in money to fund your idea. In the US, things are much faster when it comes to decision making and sometimes the verbal agreements are on the spot before they get down to the formalities. Hence, it’s no surprise to why Keeran was taking a huge risk in his pitching adventure.
He was a bit tight-lipped about the outcome of his pitches but he hinted that he will reveal all pretty soon. But he did request for one thing is for us to download the #chrends app and do give feedback as that’s the most important ingredient for his app to tract more usage from subscribers.
Whether his trip was a success or not, the message here is that in life, everything is worth a shot. The experience itself will be self rewarding to say the least.
Infographics for #Chrends. Click image to enlarge.
Keeran’s visit to Yahoo at San Francisco in 2008
Keeran at the presentation at Red Herring event back in 2012 for his Chatworthy app
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The annual charity golf event, which is in its 19th edition, is widely recognised as the biggest and most prestigious golf competition in the Sultanate. The tournament is just less than two weeks away.
Three categories – men’s, ladies and juniors – will be contested over two weekends at the RBA Golf Club in Berakas.
The men’s category is divided into men’s open and senior categories while the junior division is open to golfers aged 13-18. The first week of competition will be held from May 30 – June 1 while the second will be played from June 6-8.
Registration fee is set for $120 for adults and $60 for juniors, inclusive of green fee, buggy, breakfast and lunch. Players can play as many times as they like to improve their chances of winning and they are able to enjoy a 10 per cent discount on registration fee on their second and subsequent round.
Interested parties can log onto www.baiduri.com for full details, where they can also download the application forms to register for the event.
The signing ceremony with partners for the Baiduri Masters 2014
QAF Group, Baiduri Masters 2014’s strategic partner represented by its CEO Albert Lau with Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank
Brunei Press, the exclusive media partner to the event represented by its General Manager Reggie See
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#TearsOfJoy
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BIBD – Let’s Go Mobile!
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Stevie G was pretty emotional after the match and truly deserve to lift the trophy if you ask me
I caught this match last night with Terence Han at Coffee Zone and while my buddy remained calmed, my heart was racing inside as it was anybody’s game judging from the performance from both sides. Despite Liverpool having a 2-0 goal cushion with Man City’s Toure taken off due to injury, the visitors pulled the game back to in level terms and dominated the second half. It was also the first time Terence heard me swearing *lol* as I was cursing on the Liverpool players for being sloppy especially Sakho who looked shaky in defence and giving away possession cheaply.
Vincent Kompany had a torrid time as all the Liverpool goals was his to blame. He was wrong footed by Sterling as the Liverpool ace cheekily scored from the little gap. The second goal was off a corner and Kompany lost his marked man Skrtel who headed home. Liverpool’s third goal was gifted by Kompany who fluffed a simple clearance and Coutinho came out from no where to blast home Liverpool’s winning goal.
There you go. A summary of one of the best matches if not the best of the season. Man City still have six games to play compared to Liverpool’s four. Thank you, Brendan Rodgers in believing in the squad and it’s good to see a few English players too (Johnson, Flanagan, Henderson, Gerrard, Sturridge and Sterling) and not rely too much on foreign talent.
This season will go down to the wire and the title race is still wide open. For now, it’s Liverpool’s title to lose. Let’s make us dream.
The Liverpool fans were at the edge of their seats from start to the end
Terence was my bromance partner for the night. Though he’s a Gunners fan, he wanted Liverpool to lift the trophy.
Royal Brunei Catering representatives at the recent FHA 2014 Culinary Challenge held in Singapore
Chef Ahmad bin Haji Mangsor of Royal Brunei Catering achieved his success in the FHA 2014 Culinary Challenge held in Singapore. He has won silver medal under “Class 3B Pastry Showpiece – Marzipan / Sugar which was held on 10th April 2014.
FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC) competition is the region’s most prestigious international culinary competition dedicated to the promotion of culinary excellence according to their website. It is strongly supported by World Association of Chef Societies (WACS) and the regional chef associations, where this is the fundamental platform for promising culinary talents from around the world to display their gifted skills and be accredited by a panel of internationally acclaimed judges. The competition was held from 8th to 11th April 2014 at the Singapore Expo in Singapore.
This competition has attracted countries all over the world such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Korea, Thailand, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and Australia to name a few.
Chef Ahmad bin Haji Mangsor’s master piece for FHA 2014 Culinary Challenge
Chef Mohammad Khairul Anuar and Chef Cathy of Royal Brunei Catering
Company employees and their families can have a fun and rewarding (in many senses of the word) time participating in the hiking activities to be held at the Tasek Lama Recreational Park starting at 6 am on Sunday 27 April as part of this year’s Sukan Ria Antara Syarikat.
Company employees interested to take up the 4.2 km hiking challenge event can sign up to be in the running to win attractive cash prizes for the first three men and three women to cross the finish line.
Happening at the same time will be the aptly-named Fun Hike which will stretch 3 km for men and 2 km for women, and is open to both company employees and their family members.
A lucky draw will be held after the hikes giving all participants the chance to go home with fabulous prizes.
The winning team will receive a B$2,000 cash prize, a challenge trophy, medals and trophy. A cash prize of B$1,000 will go to the runner-up team, and third place is rewarded with B$500, with medals and trophies going to both teams.
Teams can import up to three players from another company, allowing teams that would otherwise have insufficient numbers of players to participate in the fun. Being able to bring in talent from another company will also strengthen some teams, which should make for some exciting showdowns.
Registration forms along with the rules and official guidelines can be obtained at D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd in Beribi during office hours or at the official Sukan Ria website at www.sukanriabrunei.com. Completed forms must be received by 5pm on 15 April.
For more information, visit the official website or contact the Marketing Department at D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd via telephone at 2453666 or e-mail event@dsunlit.com
Newly-planted tree saplings at Tasek Lama Recreational Park. Image courtesy of Abdul Azim Kassim of The Brunei Times.
Good to know that the government agencies are doing facelift at recreational places. Recently we had the Serasa Beach facelift which has been getting positive comments from the public. So next is the Silver Jubilee Park and Tasek Lama Recreational Park. I haven’t really explore the Silver Jubilee Park but more on Tasek Lama for my morning walks which I have been neglecting too *lol*
According to the article from The Brunei Times, a jetty, a gazebo and surveillance cameras will be budgeted for the Silver Jubilee Park. The Minister of Home Affairs paid a visit to both these locations yesterday and he believes in restoring the recreational parks even if they are minor ones. The purpose of this upgrade is to make the recreational environment more conducive for the comfort and peace of visitors.
At Tasek Lama Recreational Park, resting house improvements were made, specifically the resting house near the waterfall. An ongoing improvement that was being made in the park was the reinforcement of a jungle track. The jungle track was built with concrete underneath, ensuring pathways would not deteriorate quickly. Source: Nadzri Zailani and Abdul Azim Kassim of The Brunei Times.
The ISB Art Exhibition last weekend at Kaleidoscope Art Gallery
I love art and enjoy watching installation and art pieces. Maybe today I will head over to see pieces and art installation of at the UBD Spectacle 2014 at the Art Gallery, Chancellor Hall. Today I will briefly shared about ISB’s art exhibition at the Kaleidoscope Art Gallery in Kiulap last weekend. I missed this event actually as it slipped my mind but great job to the students for Year 13 who are graduating from the International Baccalaureate (IB) course.
According to the article in The Brunei Times, The artworks ranged from digital photography, paintings on canvas and sculpture. One of the unique works was by Aneesah Zulfina. Titled ‘Bateman’s Gridlock’, the piece, which took her four hours to complete, was made from 200 rubic cubes that were sponsored by WW Mart.
Art teacher Christopher Hoddinott said that the exhibition was a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their efforts.
ISB student, Nur Fatin Farhana Md Jafaar, told TheBrunei Times that she felt very proud to be able to have her artworks showcased as “an exhibition is a pinnacle for every aspiring artists, new and existing.”
Too bad the art exhibition only lasted a few days. Well done, anyway, to the Year 13 students and good luck in your assessment 🙂 Below are some pictures taken from ISB and Kaleidoscope Facebook.
The Year 13 art students with their art teachers
Janet Jinadasa, ISB Art Director
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