The International Solar Alliance (ISA) launched the SolarX Startup Challenge for the Asia-Pacific region at COP28, showcasing its commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and driving solar projects in the region. Following the success of the Africa edition, SolarX APAC is poised to be a pivotal force in advancing solar initiatives.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to cultivate scalable business models, accelerate global energy transitions, and bridge energy and investment gaps. Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of the ISA, emphasized the significance of this initiative in a comprehensive strategy to promote solar deployment.
A few months back, Bangladesh Government has signed a country partnership agreement with the International Solar Alliance in order to facilitate enhanced solar energy development in Bangladesh on February 2023. The agreement will be implemented by December 2026, with the aim of leading Bangladesh into creating a pipeline of bankable solar projects and attracting investments.
Sharing his insight on why such a project was needed, Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of the ISA said: "The SolarX Startup Challenge epitomizes our commitment to accelerating solar deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. We recognize the unique challenge of developing projects in economies requiring renewable energy. ISA is addressing this challenge from both ends. We are collaborating with governments to establish favourable policies and, through SolarX, attracting investments to create a demand where there was none. The Solar for She program, launched alongside SolarX, aims to encourage more women-led startups, building on the success seen in the Africa leg of SolarX. My hope is that these entrepreneurs achieve levels of success that rival the impact and innovation of Amazon and Google."
Under the SolarX Startup Challenge, 20 startups from across the Asia-Pacific region will be selected, each receiving a USD 15,000 cash grant, totalling USD 300,000. This initiative, symbolizing a commitment to excellence, provides a transformative platform for entrepreneurial success, innovation, and strategic networking. Successful entrepreneurs will undergo an intensive acceleration program and receive mentorship from seasoned professionals. To facilitate market penetration and expansion, SolarX winners will be connected with potential investors and granted access to diverse markets within the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr Mathur added that: "ISA has established a Global Solar Facility to unlock investments, and by cultivating entrepreneurs, we aim to foster locally relevant business models and create a robust project pipeline. Through entrepreneurship, finance, and increased investments, we anticipate a transformative shift in enabling a swift energy transition. Our vision is to nurture a new generation of leaders shaping the future of solar energy and contributing to global climate action."
Samsung Electronics has been recognized among the ‘Global Top 5’ brands by Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, for the fourth consecutive year, on November 21, 2023.
A remarkable year-on-year growth of 4 percent, accumulating to a brand value of USD 91.4 billion, implementation of viable customer experience strategies, and introduction of industry-leading innovation contributed to this magnificent achievement.
Despite a sluggish demand within the IT industry this year, Samsung has been able to increase its brand value across all arenas.
The company also promoted increased connectivity and enhanced gaming experiences through a wide-ranging product portfolio and SmartThings.
Moreover, they proved themselves as a leader in future innovative technologies such as 6G, artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), and implemented consistent actions to strengthen ESG leadership through eco-conscious activities across all product lines. Such initiatives played a pivotal role for the South Korean electronics giant in earning this accolade.
As part of the company’s efforts to improve its customer experience, Samsung Electronics established the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Center under the Global Marketing Office to provide an integrated online and offline experience. The company also has the CX-MDE Center, which is responsible for strengthening the multi-device experience. Partnerships were also a major factor that drove Samsung’s brand value over the past year, an example being SmartThings.
Samsung is further strengthening its open partnerships to connect various third-party devices.
Besides, the company continues to invest in leading future technologies to enable and empower the consumers of tomorrow.
ESG has also been a major focal point, as the company’s eco-conscious activities are making an impact. Samsung’s efforts include increasing the usage of recycled materials, such as plastics from discarded fishing nets, glass, and aluminum in Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Z Flip5, Fold5 series; open licensing of solar cell remote technology used in TVs; working together with Patagonia on the Less Microfiber™ Filter for washing machines; and introducing AI energy mode in SmartThings Energy.
Throughout the year, Samsung has been making significant improvements across all its business divisions, including Mobile, Network, Visual Display, Home Appliances, and Semiconductors. Through impactful campaigns, consolidated strategies, and continuous improvements, Samsung has been reaching beyond boundaries to strengthen its position across all fields.
“Samsung Electronics has been able to hold on to a steady growth of its brand value despite a challenging business environment, and the credit goes to all our incredible customers worldwide. Such achievements motivate us to work harder and reach for the unbound possibilities through consistent efforts and meaningful experiences,” said Hwansung Woo, Managing Director of Samsung Bangladesh.
Interbrand’s Best Global Brands are listed according to the evaluation of each brand value, which is a result of a comprehensive analysis of the company’s financial performance, the influence of the brand on customer purchases, and brand competitiveness. It is a brand value evaluation with one of the longest histories in the world and is widely recognized for its credibility.
Digital banking, popularly known as online banking, are rising continuously for easy handling and more security.
Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS) president Rassel T Ahmed said, the digital banking was introduced in the country two decades ago. But the pace has been accelerated by the Coronavirus pandemic as consumers were then compelled to turn to the internet to access finances from the conveniences of their homes in a bid to avoid catching the deadly virus.
AKM Fahim Mashroor, a former president of BASIS and CEO at bdjobs.com, said, "The old- generation banks are lacking even in mobile apps. On the other hand, new-generation banks have the facility and they are doing well..."
Recently, an agreement was signed between iFarmer and Padma
Bank to accelerate financing cooperations for farmers and entrepreneurs in the agriculture
sector in remote areas of the country.
This marks a remarkable partnership between Padma Bank and iFarmer to facilitate the farmers
in many ways and allow their easy access to financial needs directly from financial institutions.
iFarmer has been providing agricultural advice and equipment-related services while purchasing
farmers-produced goods to improve the agriculture ecosystem. This agro-tech company is
relentlessly working with more than 1 lakh registered farmer families in Bangladesh.
Jamil M Akbar, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of iFarmer; Tarek Riaz Khan, Managing
Director & CEO of Padma Bank Ltd., and Dr. Mohammed Emtiaz Uddin, Deputy Managing
Director & CBO of Padma Bank Ltd., were present at the signing ceremony.
Among the other high officials from both entities, Reasat Hayder, Head of Marketing and
Operations-Agri Input & Omnichannel Activation of iFarmer; Md. Riazul Islam, EVP & Head of
SME and Agriculture Banking Division of Padma Bank; and Sharif Moinul Hossain, EVP & Head
of HRD of Padma Bank, were present with other senior officers of both institutions.