Briefs: Online insurance shopping platform launched

Fast-growing insurer FWD Philippines, part of pan-Asian FWD Group, on Tuesday launched the online insurance-selling platform Shop@FWD that offers exclusive insurance products and rewards only available online.

Shop@FWD — accessible through www.shop.fwd.com.ph — is a new digital platform that allows customers to purchase insurance products in mere minutes. It is the fastest way to get insured online while getting rewards as well.

“We’re making insurance more accessible with Shop@FWD. Anybody, from young professionals to breadwinners, can now easily purchase much-needed insurance coverage with the click of a button,” FWD Philippines president and chief executive officer Peter Grimes said. “At FWD, we want to change the way people feel about insurance, and one way to do this is to provide a hassle-free way to purchase insurance and be instantly covered.”

Since its launch in 2014, FWD Philippines has been providing simple, relevant, and affordable ways for customers to get the protection they deserve. Shop@FWD is the company’s latest digital innovation that reimagines the meaning of insurance.

Exclusively available via Shop@FWD is KanDüü, an insurance product suite that covers policyholders so that they “can do” whatever they want with no hesitation.

CoE stresses need for additional power supply

Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, chairman of the Committee on Energy (CoE), urges the Department of Energy as well as industry players and stakeholders to act swiftly on the next round of biddings for the green field baseload capacity. This developed after the so-called competitive selection process conducted last September resulted in the award of power supply agreements that are price competitive and lower than the prevailing generation charge.

“We believe that, with the increasing demand of power being projected for the coming years, our country urgently needs additional capacity to support the current administration’s golden age of infrastructure,” Velasco said, adding that the record number of yellow and red alerts plaguing the Luzon grid customers this year should not be allowed to recur.

“We look forward to the start of the next round of bidding for new baseload capacity, which will definitely be a welcome development, as this is aligned with the Duterte administration’s goal of bringing down the cost of electricity and ensuring a steady and continued supply of power across the country,” he said.

ASENSO wins top prize at ADB-backed event

Asenso Tech Pte, Ltd., a fintech startup and end-to-end business accelerator for Asian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), topped three fintech startups at the final pitch of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Global AgriFin Innovation Challenge, a call for fintech solutions to support the agriculture sector.

ASENSO, which bested a total of 39 other entrants from different countries, will claim a cash prize of $10,000 plus the opportunity to implement a pilot in one of ADB’s regional projects At the final pitch during the 3rd Asia Finance Forum held at the ADB Headquarters on 5 November, ASENSO founders led by chief strategist Winston Damarillo highlighted the importance of enabling greater access and inclusion for the agriculture sector, by creating a comprehensive digital ecosystem where the focal point is the farmer.

“The first steps toward productive digital inclusion is having identity, e-wallet and credit scoring. Asenso employs an AI-driven credit scoring system that builds from payment behavior and blends unique scoring factors specific to the 760,00 farmers within our network. This allows us to instantly provide capital, store credit lines in digital wallets, and leverage the combined buying power of farmers,” Damarillo said. “When harvest comes, we will create localized marketplaces so our farmers than take advantage of over 400,000 sari-sari stores (micro store) and 40,000 karinderias (eateries) within our ecosystem.”

Next Generation of Savi Wireless Headsets

Plantronics Inc., a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration, on Tuesday announced the next generation lineup of popular Savi wireless headsets. The enterprise-grade Savi 8220 and Savi 8210 headsets are the first DECT™ headsets with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) to be launched in the Philippines, offering different wearing styles, plus features to help with working in noisy and disruptive office environments.

“People will always need the ability to focus,” said Tamara Lane, director of product marketing, personal solutions, Poly. “Open offices facilitate collaboration, which is great for group problem-solving, but we all have our moments when we need to focus independently. The challenge is staying in the zone despite the buzz around you. We’ve updated our Savi 8200 Office Series headsets to better address these needs.”

“For over 50 years, Poly has been at the heart of collaboration and productivity with our extensive end-to-end portfolio of enterprise-grade video, desk phones, and headsets,” said Samir Sayed, Managing Director, ASEAN and Korea, Poly. “Today, the contact center is a crucial vehicle by which a company delivers on its customer experience strategy. And as contact centers in the Philippines are looking to transform the customer experience through technology, we are committed to delivering the best solutions and highest voice quality to support their efforts to provide the best possible service for their customers.”