Day: June 22, 2023

), Southeast Asia’s (SEA) next generation, data-driven, loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem, today announces that it will formally introduce its universal loyalty application, , at a launch party to be held at Clifford Pier, 80 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049326 at 6 pm on Wednesday, 28 June 2023. In unveiling its paradigm shifting SOPA Loyalty App to +100 invited investors, media, and the general public, SoPa management will showcase the SoPa Loyalty App’s ease of use and value proposition for both consumers and merchants to buy, earn and redeem loyalty points, Society Points. In particular, guests will witness SoPa Loyalty App seamless integration with Nusatrip.com, Indonesia’s oldest online travel agency, and Gorilla.Global, Society Pass’ travel telecoms company. By 4Q 2023, SoPa expects to connect of all of its subsidiaries within its ecosystem to the SOPA Loyalty App, enabling an unparalleled shopping experience for its 3.3 million registered consumers and 650,000 registered merchants. Consumers and merchants can now download Society Pass either on: With its vision of “building the next generation digital ecosystem and loyalty platform in SEA”, the SoPa loyalty platform generates the following benefits for merchants: creating permanent customer loyalty, replacing cash discounting, and generating additional revenue streams. Society Points means the more customers buy from merchants, the more rewards they will earn, and the more revenue generation for merchants. Sopa Loyalty platform encourages continuous consumer engagement with brands, thereby increasing conversions and revenues. Society Pass/Society Points cover registered consumers and registered merchants in Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore. Users can pay for goods and services in-store, in-app or online. SoPa Loyalty Wallet allows users to pay for goods and services by scanning QR Codes and making payments via credit card, debit card, or Society Points. Rokas Sidlauskas, Chief Marketing Officer of SoPa, elaborates, “We are beyond excited to finally introduce this much needed product to the market. As we celebrate this milestone, which is a result of years of hard work across multiple teams, we believe that this ground-breaking product will not only provide immediate value to our registered consumers and registered merchants, but also will drive a revolution of fintech and e-commerce innovation across the region.” Howie Ng, Chief Technology Officer of SoPa, explains, “We designed a best-in-class user interface backed by fully integrated backend infrastructure to kickstart a virtuous cycle of revenue generation and loyalty creation. SoPa Loyalty App offers a wide range of options: gamification, badges, tiers, birthday surprises, and early access privileges. Our smooth registration process allows consumers to redeem points for coupons, refer friends and earn SOPA points, view wallet balance, change your settings, purchase SOPA points, store multiple credit cards, and settle purchases in real-time.” About Society Pass Inc. Founded in 2018 as a data-driven loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem in the fast-growing markets of Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, which account for more than 80% of the SEA population, and with offices located in Angeles, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore, Society Pass Incorporated (Nasdaq: SOPA) is an acquisition-focused holding company operating 6 interconnected verticals (loyalty, digital media, travel, telecoms, lifestyle, and FandB), which seamlessly connects millions of registered consumers and hundreds of thousands of registered merchants/brands across multiple product and service categories throughout SEA. Society Pass completed an initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SOPA in November 2021. SoPa acquires fast growing e-commerce companies and expands its user base across a robust product and service ecosystem. SoPa integrates these complementary businesses through its signature Society Pass fintech platform and circulation of its universal loyalty points or Society Points, which has entered beta testing and is expected to launch broadly at the beginning of 2023. Society Pass loyalty program members earn and redeem Society Points and receive personalised promotions based on SoPa’s data capabilities and understanding of consumer shopping behaviour. SoPa has amassed more than 3.3 million registered consumers and over 650,000 registered merchants and brands. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture to effectively scale and support its consumers, merchants, and acquisitions. Society Pass leverages technology to tailor a more personalised experience for customers in the purchase journey and to transform the entire retail value chain in SEA. SoPa operates Thoughtful Media Group, a Thailand-based, a social commerce-focused, premium digital video multi-platform network; NusaTrip, a leading Indonesia-based Online Travel Agency; VLeisure, Vietnam’s leading provider of hotel management and payment solutions; andgtorilla Global, a Singapore-based, mobile network operator; Leflair.com, Vietnam’s leading lifestyle e-commerce platform; and Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines. For more information on Society Pass, please visit: Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and prospectus relating to the Company’s initial public offering filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. Media Contacts: Rokas Sidlauskas Chief Marketing Officer

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo expressed support for President Joko Widodo’s decision to revoke the COVID-19 pandemic status and declare that Indonesia is starting to enter the endemic phase.”I support the decision to revoke the COVID-19 pandemic emergency status in the country because it was taken based on the consideration that the number of (daily) confirmed cases of COVID-19 is close to zero,” Soesatyo noted in his official statement on Thursday. Nevertheless, Soesatyo urged the government to stay alert and continue to monitor COVID-19 transmission or active cases in the country. He also called on the government to continue to appeal to the community to remain alert and implement a clean and healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, he appealed to the government to implement new policies and regulations for the endemic phase in stages. He noted that health protocols, especially wearing masks, should continue to be implemented, and vaccination requirements for entering public spaces or using public transportation should be imposed. He encouraged members of the community to increase their awareness to continue wearing masks in public spaces, especially for those who are ill or can potentially transmit diseases. “Thus, with good cooperation between the government and the community, it is expected that COVID-19 cases in the country can reach zero,” he remarked. Earlier, President Joko Widodo, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (June 21), officially declared the revocation of the COVID-19 pandemic status and that Indonesia is transitioning to the COVID-19 endemic phase. The decision was made on the basis of the fact that currently, the number of daily COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was close to zero. The president also stated that serosurvey results had shown that 99 percent of the Indonesian population already had COVID-19 antibodies. The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of June 21, 2023, the nation had recorded a total of 6,811,444 COVID-19 cases, 6,640,216 recoveries, and 161,853 deaths.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan has pledged to support the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (Kadin’s)chairmanship of the ASEAN-Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) this year.”I support ASEAN-BAC Indonesia in implementing its priority programs and their derivatives during this year’s chairmanship period. I also fully support the holding of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and Roundtable Dialogue Series in September 2023,” Hasan said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Thursday. The minister also welcomed the advisory council’s efforts to intensify consultation and advocacy with ASEAN governments in a bid to establish stronger lines of cooperation and collaboration between governments and private players. He also called for ASEAN-BAC’s support for Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship this year, particularly the Trade Ministry’s efforts to realize the seven priority economic deliverables (PEDs). The PEDs include the ASEAN Services Facilitation Framework (ASFF), the signing of the Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), and the establishment of a supporting unit for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. The deliverables also include the development of ASEAN Industrial Project-Based Initiatives as well as the full implementation of electronic certificates of origin for imported commodities (e-Form D) through a regional electronic economic platform called ASEAN Single Window. The remaining two PEDs concern the Leader’s Statement on Developing the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework (DEFA) and the Roadmap of ASEAN Harmonized Standards to Support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Implementation. “I also expect ASEAN-BAC to provide suggestions and support to Indonesia in finding joint solutions to address various market access obstacles being faced by business actors,” Hasan stated. Minister Hasan also sought support from the council in the country’s efforts to complete four priority negotiations, namely negotiations on upgrading the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), ASEAN China FTA (ACFTA), the finalization of ASEAN Canada FTA (ACAFTA), and RCEP implementation. He informed that after the consultation meeting between ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and ASEAN-BAC, Indonesia will launch the “New ASEAN Tariff Finder” platform that will replace the current tariff finder. The platform is a search engine that will provide business actors with information on tariffs, non-tariffs, rules of origin (ROO), ASEAN export-import regulations, and ASEAN’s trade agreements with its partner countries. The consultation meeting is scheduled to take place in September 2023 on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Frontier,outermost, and remote (3T) areas are currently the focus of extensive extreme poverty eradication efforts by the ministry in order to ensure that their residents can improve welfare by gaining economic independence, Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini stated.”I have given directives to leaders of centers to map the potentials in those areas deemed as poor, so we can pursue economic improvement. For example, in East Nusa Tenggara, the potential is agriculture, so we max out its potential,” the minister noted here on Thursday. Rismaharini explained that extensive efforts were being made to ensure that people can better their lives and get out of poverty by tapping into the available potentials. The minister noted that poverty eradication efforts through coaching to encourage their economic independence was provided to the people of Sebatik, Krayan bordering Malaysia, Wini, Malaka, Atambua bordering Timor-Leste, Skouw bordering Papua New Guinea, and Bertam bordering Singapore. She cited as an example the Wini area where the potential of its cultivated sunflowers is developed in order to improve the selling point of local tourism. The ministry also taught the people there that the flowers’ seeds can serve as raw material for cooking oil, and they also provided tools to create woven fabrics, Rismaharini elaborated. Moreover, the ministry collaborated with the State Borders’ Post to improve Skouw people’s capability by establishing four kiosks for people to sell their products, such as laying hens and pigs, she remarked. The minister also revealed that they had sent some people to follow the training in East Nusa Tenggara. The ministry has aided the people of Malaka by giving laying hens and tools to make crafts, such as woven bags, she remarked. Moreover, the ministry has tapped into the area’s agriculture potential, as the area has fertile soil and cool temperatures, Rismaharini pointed out. The Social Affairs Ministry has provided boats for Bertam’s children to get to schools as well as facilitated them with access to online learning, she stated. Minister Rismaharini noted that the ministry handles human trafficking cases by addressing its root causes, such as poverty, and by protecting the victims. As for other aspects, such as law enforcement, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of other ministries and institutions, she explained. “We push for their education to press down the rate of human trafficking victims. If the economic condition is good, then they would not be lured by some random jobs or migration,” she added.

Source: Antara News Agency