Taiwan Bank goes to Cambodia
Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合作金庫銀行), the banking arm of Taiwan Cooperative Financial Holding Co (合作金庫金控), received the green light from the Cambodian Central Bank to open a branch in the capital of Phnom Penh, the bank said on Saturday.
Cambodia has became an investment hot spot in recent years as many Taiwanese businesses operating in China have shifted their operations there due to lower costs, the bank said.
The new branch, which is expected to open in the next six months, will offer services including deposits, lending and foreign exchange. The branch will target not only Taiwanese businesspeople, but also local residents and enterprises.
Over the years, the bank has been aggressively expanding its presence overseas, opening a branch in Suzhou, China, in 2010 and one in Sydney, Australia, last year.
New iPhone out in November
Apple Inc’s iPhone 5 will be available in Taiwan in November at the earliest, with the California-based company scheduled to release the new product in the US on Thursday, local telecom carriers said on Saturday.
However, launch events like the ones that attracted tens of thousands of people to line up to purchase the iPhone 4 two years ago are not expected to be held this year due to safety concerns, they said.
Many customers have decided to wait for the launch to buy a smartphone, and the anticipation surrounding the iPhone 5 might have caused smartphone sales to slump by 2.3 percent on the global market in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the latest report released by Gartner Inc.
Taiwan to host WCE in 2014
Taiwan has won the bid to host the 32nd World Congress of Endourology (WCE) in 2014, beating seven other countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Argentina, according to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).
It will be Taiwan’s first time hosting the event, TAITRA said in a statement, adding that it will be a great opportunity to strengthen the nation’s prestige in the field.
The congress is scheduled to take place from Sept. 3 to Sept. 7 next year at the Taipei International Convention Center, and will coincide with an expo at the Taipei World Trade Center.
The expo will include a fair attended by about 100 businesses, the organizers said, adding that there will also be a number of seminars over the five-day period.
Marketing forum coming soon
Thirty international marketing gurus will share their insights on creativity and marketing skills with local professionals at the Asian MICE Forum slated to take place later this month, organizers said.
The forum, themed “Information and Technology,” has invited 30 speakers from 11 countries to share their views and experiences about meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), TAITRA said in a statement.
Steve McRoberts, executive director of marketing at Tourism Queensland, Australia, and Ken Sturgeon, former logistics manager of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour, are set to give speeches at the forum this year.
The two-day event is scheduled to take place on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28 at the Taipei International Convention Center.
Indian delegation visits Taiwan
A business delegation led by Saurabh Chandra, secretary of India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, will attend a forum in Taiwan this week to showcase India’s booming market to local investors.
Chandra, who is also in charge of policy matters related to external trade at the Indian Department of Commerce, will brief local businesses on India’s investment policies and business opportunities at a forum in Taipei today.
The forum will highlight potential business opportunities in the manufacturing, electronics, design and manufacturing services, and food processing sectors, according to the India-Taipei Association and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, organizers of the forum.
Bilateral trade between Taiwan and India grew 17 percent annually to US$7.56 billion last year, the highest since the two sides set up representative offices in 1995, the ministry said.
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