Yuan deposits at US$49bn
Yuan deposits at Taiwanese banks totaled 300.429 billion yuan (US$49.05 billion) at the end of last month, 1.76 percent higher than the 295.244 billion yuan recorded at the end of August, the central bank said yesterday.
Last month’s level of yuan deposits included 248.213 billion yuan in savings accounts at 67 domestic banking units and 52.216 billion yuan in savings accounts at 59 offshore banking units, according to data provided by the central bank.
Meanwhile, the central bank said it is amending regulations to allow a tourist to bring up to NT$100,000 into Taiwan, up from the current ceiling of NT$60,000, citing the growth in domestic consumption and the need to support the local tourism industry. The bank said it would collect pubilc opinion on the change until Oct. 22 before making its final decision.
General Energy UK project done
Neo Solar Power Corp (新日光), the nation’s largest solar cell manufacturer, yesterday said its solar system building subsidiary, General Energy Solutions Inc (永旺能源), has completed a NT$1 billion (US$32.87 million) project by building rooftop solar power systems with annual capacity totaling 14 megawatts in the UK.
Starting in January next year, the rooftop solar power systems will begin supplying solar power to 4,500 households in a community in Tameside, Greater Manchester, UK, Neo Solar said in a statement.
General Energy is the first local solar power system builder to win a contract to build solar power systems in the UK, Neo Solar said.
MediaTek, Acer partner on cloud
Handset chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) is working on smart surveillance solutions that will integrate its wearable and Internet of Things technology with computer maker Acer Inc’s (宏碁) cloud platform.
The project is aimed at providing “proactive” and “individualized” services for consumers through context-aware smart devices, J.C. Hsu (徐敬全), general manager of MediaTek’s new business development unit, said yesterday during a keynote speech at Acer’s first Build Your Own Cloud forum in Taipei.
The solutions are part of the two companies’ efforts to seek new business opportunities in the cloud area, such as location-based services, smart healthcare and smart transportation devices, Hsu said.
Skype video app unveiled
Microsoft-owned Skype on Tuesday unveiled a new app enabling users to send short video messages to stay “connected between calls.”
The smartphone app called Skype Qik allows users to create and send videos up to 42 seconds long.
The new service seeks to help Microsoft catch up to rivals in the fast-growing mobile messaging space. It is available for phones using Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android platform and Microsoft’s own Windows Phone.
ASE plans overseas bond sale
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體), the world’s top chip tester and packager, yesterday said it plans to issue US$400 million in convertible bonds overseas to raise fund to buy raw materials.
The planned five-year bonds are to carry a zero coupon rate, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
In a separate filing, ASE said its board has approved a plan to spend NT$875 million (US$28.76 million) on building a new dormitory in Greater Kaohsiung to house its growing number of foreign employees.
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