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US FDA seeks fresh curbs on sodium levels in packaged, processed foods
"Reducing sodium in the food supply has the potential to be one of...
2024 Cat bonds issuance set to exceed 2023 record
A fresh analysis by Swiss Re shows issuance of the bonds was well...
Ping An Insurance denies regulator halted sales of alternative investments
The nation’s largest insurer by market value is facing a setback after impairments related to troubled property developer China Fortune Land Development Co. wiped 20.8 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) from profit in the first half. The company on Friday had signaled the worst of the hit may be over and it may even claw back some of the losses this year if the debt situation of the developer improves.
Uber proposes industry-wide gig worker benefits model in Canada
Uber said it advocates for benefits funds everywhere, but added that labor laws, social safety nets and different cultures meant it would pursue a different approach in every country, with Monday’s proposal tailored to Canada.
Gig companies have long been criticized for the lack of benefits and protections they offer their independent contractor workers. Many labor unions, some lawmakers and the Biden administration have said gig workers should be reclassified as employees.
The companies have also faced several lawsuits in Canada and the United States alleging worker misclassification.
Chinese regulators seek more control over internet firms’ algorithms
Under the draft regulations, companies must disclose the basic principles, purpose and operation mechanism of its algorithm recommendation services, and must include convenient options for users to turn off the recommendation service.
Algorithms should also not be used in ways that may cause addictive behaviors in users, or induce them to spend excessively. It was not immediately clear how that would be enforced.
UN hails end of poisonous leaded gas use in cars worldwide
Petroleum containing tetraethyllead, a form of lead, was first sold almost 100 years ago to increase engine performance. It was widely used for decades until researchers discovered that it could cause heart disease, strokes and brain damage.
UNEP said studies showed leaded gas caused measurable intellectual impairment in children and millions of premature deaths.
“The cost of environmental degradation is real,” said UNEP’s executive director, Inger Andersen, citing what she described as a “very, very ballpark number” of USD2.45 trillion in damage to the global economy prevented by the ban.
Construction industry accelerating innovation, risk management: KPMG
Risk management is central to improving organisational resilience. Nearly 60 per cent of survey respondents say they want to gain a more holistic view of risks by increasing integration and visibility between enterprise risk management, portfolio risk management and project risk management. And two-thirds plan a moderate or high level of investment in risk management.
Suneel Vora, Partner for major projects advisory at KPMG in India, said the pandemic has taught important lessons to businesses implementing capital programmes and construction projects around resilience, integrated approach to risk, portfolio management, leveraging diversity and putting technology to work. KPMG’s Global Construction Survey 2021 reflects on the views of over 186 global industry leaders to provide specific answers to these aspects.
India to China: Where investors managing $3 trn are putting their money
Bloomberg News spoke with institutional investors with $3 trillion in combined assets under management to ask how they’re navigating economic turmoil caused by unpredictable recoveries and China’s shifting rules, which have frozen U.S. listings and almost erased the online education sector.
All recommended heightened caution and warned of a difficult recovery ahead.
Hong Kong’s strict quarantine rules threaten to erode allure of financial hub
Hong Kong’s decision in August to increase mandatory hotel quarantine to three weeks for arrivals from most countries has prompted a backlash from banks, hedge funds, and traders who say it is hampering new investment into the asset management market and risks setting off a brain drain. Financial services contribute around 20% to Hong Kong’s gross domestic product, government statistics show.
20 APAC re/insurers record a higher premium of $821.4bn in 2020, COVID induces demand for life & health products, GlobalData
Seven players reported more than 5% rise in premiums earned. In addition, the top companies maintained financial robustness through flexible hedging of assets under management.The most notable performers in the region were Japan-based insurer Dai-ichi Life, China-based New China Life Insurance and China Reinsurance; and Taiwan-based Cathay Financial.Dai-ichi Life outperformed the top players, with its revenue growth surpassing 20%, as the weaker Yen allowed the company’s returns from its investments soar significantly over the previous year.
China Reinsurance reported 19.2% increase in y-o-y revenue owing to swift growth in savings- and protection-type life, domestic P&C reinsurance, and health reinsurance business, which led to 16.2% growth in premium income; and obtaining surplus investment returns by surpassing the market benchmarks.
Prosus doubles down on India with $4.7 bln deal for BillDesk
PayU processed $55 billion in payments in the year ended March 31, 2021, a 51% increase on the previous year.
“This is really a transformative transaction for PayU and its position as one of the leading payment and fintech providers in India and actually in the world,” Prosus CEO Bob van Dijk said on a media call.
Japan tests first autonomous cargo ship
The Nippon Foundation estimates that taking into account factors like artificial intelligence, which should improve efficiencies, the development of unmanned ships will have a positive impact of about 1 trillion yen ($9 billion) for Japan’s economy in 2040.
There are other foreseeable benefits too, such as lower insurance premiums and improved safety,Satoru Kuwahara, a general manager at Nippon Yusen subsidiary Japan Marine Science Inc, said.
Studies on shipping industry safety show that around 70% of maritime accidents are caused by human error. “With the issue of Japan’s shrinking workforce in mind, there’s growing need for these technologies to uphold safety,” he said.