Month: September 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, Phase 1 payments for Bantuan Khas COVID-19 (BKC) will be made in stages from Sept 6, 2021 for B40 recipients and Sept 9, 2021 for M40 recipients, said Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

He said the allocation involved a fund of RM3.1 billion, benefitting 4.4 million households, 1.1 million senior citizens who were single or without partner and 4.5 million single individuals.

“Overall, this cash assistance initiative is expected to benefit almost 10 million households and individuals with senior citizens and singles with an allocation of RM4.6 billion.

“The BKC payments are scheduled for September, November and December 2021,” he said while presenting the 66th Implementation and Coordination Unit Between National Agencies (LAKSANA) report through his Facebook page here today.

Tengku Zafrul also said that the Prihatin Network Programme, which has now been extended until Sept 30, has been improved where RM500 million was added under the PEMERKASA Package, making the value of the programme at RM2 billion.

“Besides that, telecommunication companies will offer additional benefits, especially additional free data worth RM1.5 billion, and this brings the total benefit of the Prihatin Network Programme to RM3.5 billion,” he said.

He added that all Malaysian citizens who are eligible to receive Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) are also eligible to participate in the Prihatin Network Programme and receive a monthly data plan subsidy or a subsidy for the purchase of mobile device packages.

“As of Aug 20, subsidies worth RM412.6 million have been successfully utilised by 3.1 million BPR recipients,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said the confidence in digital transformation was based on the government’s increased focus to strengthen and improve basic telecommunication networks with a special allocation of RM9.4 billion in Budget 2021 which covers the education, employment and digital transformation sectors.

This is supported by the National Digital Network Infrastructure Plan (JENDELA) which also allocates funds to increase digital connectivity in schools nationwide in an effort to support the transition of online learning as well as provide a better broadband experience and to prepare the country for 5G technology, he added.

“Besides that, there are also plans under Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) such as providing reskilling and upskilling programmes to facilitate the transition of manpower into the ICT industry and grant schemes related to digitalisation.

“These measures not only support the enhancement of digital connectivity but also create a more inclusive digital society that drives business activities that can increase Malaysia’s chances of becoming a regional digital hub in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Tengku Zafrul.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, AscendEX, a global digital asset trading platform announced the listing of the Kava Swap token (SWP) under the pair USDT/SWP on Sept 1.

According to a statement, Kava is focused on democratising financial services and making them openly accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Kava Chain is a decentralised, permissionless, censorship-resistant blockchain built with the Cosmos SDK. This means it operates much like other Cosmos ecosystem blockchains, and is designed to be interoperable with other chains.

Kava.io is the first cross-chain Decentralized Finance (DeFi) hub providing applications and services to the world’s largest cryptocurrencies.

Kava’s platform operates as a decentralised bank for digital assets connecting users with products like stablecoins, loans, and interest-bearing accounts so that they can do more and earn more with their digital assets.

The native swap token (SWP), launched Aug 30, allows users to swap and engage with multiple assets across different chains.

Kava Swap is a cross-chain liquidity hub for all DeFi apps and financial services. Its purpose is to enable the aggregation of capital where it can then be deployed seamlessly across different blockchain ecosystems, DeFi apps, and financial services.

The Kava Protocol is the set of rules and behaviours built into the Kava Chain that enables advanced DeFi functionality like permissionless borrowing and lending.

The Kava Chain is secured by its native token KAVA and is used across the full chain as a transport and store of value. It is given as a reward for minting USDX on the Kava app. USDX is a stable coin loosely pegged to the US Dollar.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that both international and domestic travel demand showed significant momentum in July 2021 compared to June, but demand remained far below pre-pandemic levels.

Extensive government-imposed travel restrictions continue to delay recovery in international markets.

Total demand for air travel in July 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was down 53.1 per cent compared to July 2019. This is a significant improvement from June when demand was 60 per cent below June 2019 levels, said IATA today.

It said international passenger demand in July was 73.6 per cent below July 2019, “bettering the 80.9 per cent decline recorded in June 2021 versus two years ago.”

All regions showed improvement and North American airlines posted the smallest decline in international RPKs (July traffic data from Africa was not available), said IATA, which represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 per cent of global air traffic.

It said total domestic demand was down 15.6% versus pre-crisis levels (July 2019), compared to the 22.1 per cent decline recorded in June over June 2019. Russia posted the best result for another month, with RPKs up 28.9 per cent versus July 2019.

“People travelled where they could, and that was primarily in domestic markets. A recovery of international travel needs governments to restore the freedom to travel. At a minimum, vaccinated travellers should not face restrictions. That would go a long way to reconnecting the world and reviving the travel and tourism sectors,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director-general.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd (SCIB) has clinched a contract worth an estimated RM80 million for the procurement, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of medical equipment at a proposed specialist hospital in Johor Bahru.

The engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract from Kencana Heathcare Sdn Bhd has a minimum duration of 10 years and may be mutually extended by another five years, it said.

“(The amount of RM80 million) is the maximum purchasing budget for all equipment to be supplied on capital equipment lease concession basis,” SCIB said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia today.

The scope of work includes sourcing and negotiation of all medical equipment based on the supply list to be provided by KHSB and endorsed by the operator, the National Heart Institute (IJN), it said.

Among others, SCIB is required to provide comprehensive maintenance for 10 years starting from the date of installation, acceptance of supply or commissioning of the equipment.

“Any profits attributable to the group would be realised in stages over the tenure of the contract based on the progress of the project. The contract secured is expected to contribute positively to SCIB Group’s future earnings over the duration of the contract,” it added.

The contract is not subject to the approval of the shareholders and/or any regulatory authorities.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency