Connect with us

Technology

Visa Data Reveals Travel Spending Boost During Annual Signature Race Week

Published

on

During the week of the Night Race, Singapore saw over 20% surge in international visitors,[1] driving close to 30% spending upliftHigh-net-worth visitors[2] surged by over 70%, contributing to approximately 70% increase in their overall spendingVisa cardholders from Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, U.K., U.S. accounted for over 40% of tourism spendSMBs in Singapore saw a spending increase of over 50% by tourists [3]

SINGAPORE, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As Singapore’s premier international night racing event concludes, Visa, the world leader in digital payments, today unveiled data[4] demonstrating consumer behaviours and spending patterns during the week-long September spectacle.

The data, based on Visa’s analysis of the spending patterns of Visa cardholders during the this period, revealed over 20% increase in international visitors, driving close to a 30% uplift in overall spending.[5] Such benefits extended to local spending as well, resulting in a 10% uplift during the same period.[6]

High-Octane Night Race Demonstrates International Appeal
Top spending and international visitor trends identified in relation to Visa cardholders include:

A substantial influx of visitors from the region and beyond: Hong Kong SAR led the way with more than 200% increase in traveller spending. Australia and U.K. also saw a significant uplift in spending (approximately 80%), while U.S. (over 40%), Japan (over 40%) and Malaysia (60%) also saw substantial growth. Together, these markets accounted for over 40% of tourism spend during the race week.Spending preferences by country: Top spending by visitors from Hong Kong SAR were on Entertainment (over 40% of spend) and Restaurants (over 15%). Visitors from U.S., U.K., Australia and Japan spent mainly on Restaurants (over 20%) and Lodging (over 20%). Malaysian visitors spent on Entertainment (over 25%), Retail goods (approximately 15%), and Restaurants (over 10%).Biggest spending increase in F&B and Lodging: The top merchant categories were Entertainment with an uplift of nearly 100%, followed by Quick Service Restaurants (approximately 70%), Restaurants (approximately 60%), Lodging (over 45%), and Food & Grocery (over 30%).Notable increase in high-net-worth visitors and spend: The Night Race week saw over 70% surge in high-net-worth visitors, contributing to approximately 70% increase in overall spending from this segment.Small and medium businesses benefit from tourism boost: The local small and medium business sector in Singapore experienced an approximate 10% spending uplift. This translates to a spending increase of over 50% by tourists.Boost in spending beyond core event area: Surrounding areas like Kallang experienced over 170% uplift in spending, followed by Outram (over 120%), Rochor (close to 80%) and Downtown Core (over 90%).

Decoding Visitor Behaviours: Capturing the Impact of Event-Driven Tourism
To assess the overall impact of major international events on the local business landscape, Visa takes a closer look at visitor behaviours, spending patterns and payment preferences by Visa cardholders during the Night Race week:

Tracking the payments journey: For Lodging, hotels near the event location experienced 70-100% increase in spending, underscoring the premium visitors place on convenience and proximity to the action. In the Restaurants sector, bars and lounges experienced a 130% increase while restaurant chains specialising in Asian cuisine and Singaporean seafood saw an approximately 30-40% increase. In the Entertainment category, bay-facing recreational services saw over 150% uplift, while tourism attractions across the city-state saw more than 90% increase in spending.Singapore after dark – nightlife surges from midnight to dawn: Singapore’s late-night activities[7] experienced a significant boost, particularly in dining and entertainment. Visitors increased their spending by approximately 130% across common nightlife spots such as Chinatown, Bayfront Subzone, City Hall and Clarke Quay between 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Of which, late-night dining saw a surge of approximately 170% in spending, while entertainment venues enjoyed an uplift of over 130% during these hours.Contactless payments gain foothold: Visitors from Taiwan (over 35%), Japan (over 30%) and South Korea (close to 30%) showed a notable increase in their contactless payment usage[8] while in Singapore. This highlights the growing global adoption of contactless technology, facilitated by Singapore’s advanced digital payments infrastructure.

Unlocking New Opportunities in Travel with Data Insights
Prateek Sanghi, Head of Visa Consulting and Analytics, Asia Pacific, said: “Our findings underscore Singapore’s enduring appeal as a premier destination for major international events, as demonstrated by the marked increase in visitors and spending across various sectors during the Night Race week. Visa’s data unlocks more than just current trends, providing valuable insights into tourist behaviour and spending patterns, which can empower businesses of all sizes to not only maximise opportunities during event-driven travel periods but also predict future behaviours.”

Visa’s payments data, consulting services and in-house data science capabilities enable organisations with key insights to help them enhance visitor experiences, optimise business strategies, and drive economic growth across the travel and commerce ecosystem.

[1] Identified by non-resident cardholders making in-person transactions within Singapore.

[2] Identified as Visa Infinite and Visa Signature cardholders for all countries except Japan (Visa Gold and Visa Platinum in Japan).

[3] Figures compare the period from September 14 to 22, 2024, with the weekly average of the preceding 12 months.

[4] Based on anonymised aggregated transaction data from September 14 to 22, 2024.

[5] Figures compare the period from September 14 to 22, 2024, with the weekly average of the preceding 12 months.

[6] Figures compare the period from September 14 to 22, 2024, with the weekly average of the preceding 3 months.

[7] Figures compare the period from September 14 to 22, 2024, between 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily with the weekly average of the preceding 12 months.

[8] Figures compare the period of September 14 to 20, 2024, of contactless transactions with the weekly average of the preceding 12 months. Contactless payment usage is defined by the percentage of total face-to-face transactions made using contactless technology.

 

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/visa-data-reveals-travel-spending-boost-during-annual-signature-race-week-302266597.html

SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Roundhill Investments Launches China Dragons ETF (DRAG)

Published

on

By

DRAG offers targeted exposure to nine of the largest and most innovative Chinese companies, collectively known as the “China Dragons.”

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Roundhill Investments, an ETF sponsor focused on innovative financial products, is pleased to announce the launch of the Roundhill China Dragons ETF (DRAG), which begins trading on Cboe BZX today.

DRAG seeks to provide investors with equal-weight exposure to a concentrated basket of five to ten of the largest and most innovative Chinese companies driving innovation around the globe, collectively dubbed the “China Dragons.” As of October 3, 2024, the nine China Dragons include Tencent, Pinduoduo, Alibaba, Meituan, BYD, Xiaomi, JD.com, Baidu, and NetEase.

Unlike existing China ETFs that may offer broad-based exposures, DRAG is the only U.S.-listed ETF offering precise exposure to the largest and most innovative Chinese companies. DRAG is structured similarly to the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (MAGS), which investors and traders have embraced for its targeted exposure to seven leading U.S. stocks. DRAG will implement an equal weight strategy, rebalanced on a quarterly basis.

“With China currently offering historically attractive valuations and the recent significant government stimulus package aimed at boosting its economy, DRAG provides investors with a timely opportunity to gain targeted exposure to China’s top tech innovators,” said Dave Mazza, Chief Executive Officer at Roundhill Investments. “These companies are not only industry leaders in China but are also playing a crucial role in driving global innovation. DRAG offers a focused and efficient way for investors to capture the growth potential of these market leaders as China embarks on a new phase of economic support and technological advancement.”

For more information on the Roundhill China Dragons ETF (DRAG) and current holdings, please visit our website.

About Roundhill Investments:

Founded in 2018, Roundhill Investments is an SEC-registered investment advisor focused on innovative exchange-traded funds. Roundhill’s suite of ETFs offers distinct and differentiated exposures across thematic equity, options income, and trading vehicles. Roundhill offers a depth of ETF knowledge and experience, as the team has collectively launched more than 100+ ETFs including several first-to-market products. To learn more about the company, please visit roundhillinvestments.com.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus, if available, with this and other information about the Fund, please call 1-855-561-5728 or visit our website at https://www.roundhillinvestments.com/etf/DRAG. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.

China Risk. The Fund’s significant investments in instruments that provide exposure to Chinese companies subject the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability.

Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. Internal social unrest or confrontations with neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation.

China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Incidents involving China’s or the region’s security may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China’s rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, supply chain diversification, institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions or a trade war between China and the U.S. or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity) or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. The Fund’s portfolio may include companies that are subject to economic or trade restrictions (but not investment restrictions) imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. So long as these restrictions do not include restrictions on investments, the Fund is generally expected to invest in such companies.

Chinese companies are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. Chinese companies may also be subject to significantly weaker recordkeeping requirements than the requirements imposed upon U.S. companies.

Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or Fund Shares in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices.

Derivatives Risk. The use of derivative instruments (i.e. swap agreements and forward contracts) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include: (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset.

Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and its performance reflects investment decisions that the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser makes for the Fund.

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Any distributions paid to the holders of depositary receipts are usually subject to a fee charged by the depositary. Holders of depositary receipts may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries.

Swap Agreements Risk. The Fund may utilize swap agreements to derive its exposure to one or more of the China Dragons. Swap agreements may involve greater risks than direct investment in securities as they may be leveraged and are subject to credit risk, counterparty risk and valuation risk.

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. Consumer discretionary companies, such as retailers, media companies and consumer services companies, provide non-essential goods and services. These companies manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, and the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending.

Communication Services Sector Risk. Communication services companies may be subject to specific risks associated with legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions, intellectual property use and/or increased competition. Communication services companies are particularly vulnerable to rapid advancements in technology, the innovation of competitors, rapid product obsolescence and government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, fluctuating domestic and international demand, shifting demographics and often unpredictable changes in consumer tastes can drastically affect a communication services company’s profitability.

Information Technology Companies Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.

Large Capitalization Risk. Large capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions.

New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized investment company with a limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record or history on which to base their investment decision.

Non-Diversification Risk. As a “non-diversified” fund, the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds.

Concentration Risk. The Fund is concentrated in the industry or group of industries comprising the consumer discretionary sector and communication services sector.

Roundhill Financial Inc. serves as the investment advisor. The Funds are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC which is not affiliated with Roundhill Financial Inc., U.S. Bank, or any of their affiliates.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/roundhill-investments-launches-china-dragons-etf-drag-302266788.html

SOURCE Roundhill Investments

Continue Reading

Technology

Zenity Launches GenAI Attacks Matrix to Guide Security Efforts for GenAI Systems, Copilots and Agents

Published

on

By

TEL AVIV-YAFO, Israel, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Zenity, the leader in securing enterprise copilots and low-code development, has announced a new security framework, the GenAI Attacks Matrix. The open-source project, inspired by MITRE ATLAS and spearheaded by Zenity with help from many of the world’s leading security researchers, is focused on attacks that target the users of various GenAI systems, examining how AI systems interact with and on behalf of their users, and vice versa.

While many well-known security frameworks have historically taken an endpoint-driven approach, with the introduction of enterprise copilots and GenAI systems, security teams need a purpose-built framework to help them defend against the ensuing new wave of risks. This project’s scope includes any system that uses GenAI, allows for GenAI to make decisions, and interfaces with or is operated by users (or on their behalf, in the case of agentic AI) and is built towards helping security practitioners understand and contextualize their risk. This explicitly includes licensable AI systems such as ChatGPT Enterprise, GitHub Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot, extensions and agents anyone can build with low-code/no-code tools, and custom AI applications built for specific use cases.

Zenity co-founder and CTO Michael Bargury, said, “What we’re hoping to do here is bring the leading AI security researchers together in order to take a focused approach to GenAI systems. Our aim is to collectively document discovered attack techniques in order to clarify the threats to help enterprises devise corresponding mitigation and risk management strategies. AI changes every day, and it is critical that we share information about potential attacks as soon as they are discovered, before they are observed in the wild. I am proud to announce this project and look forward to collaborating with the security community.”

Bargury, who also founded the OWASP Low-Code/No-Code Top 10, realized that as the gold rush to place AI in the hands of all business users surges on, it is clear that security for AI is still a great unknown. By letting GenAI act on behalf of business users, enterprises have unwillingly opened up new attack pathways for adversaries to target powerful systems that inherently contain access to loads of corporate and sensitive data and are curious by nature. Attackers are exploiting these systems with promptware, which is content with hidden malicious instructions that gets picked up and acted on by AI apps.

This project aspires to lay the foundation for security teams that need to adopt a defense-in-depth approach focused on malicious behavior rather than malicious static content. The primary goal of this project is to document and share knowledge of those behaviors and to look beyond prompt injection at the entire lifecycle of a promptware attack. For more information about joining and contributing to this project, check out the GitHub repository or learn more on our website.

About Zenity

Zenity, the world’s first application security platform for Enterprise Copilots and Low-Code development, protects organizations from security threats, helps meet compliance, and enables business continuity. Established in 2021, many of the world’s leading organizations trust Zenity to help configure security guardrails, generate prioritized lists of vulnerabilities, and accurately pinpoint and remediate vulnerabilities by continuously scanning business-led development platforms and providing centralized visibility, risk assessment, and governance. Visit us at https://www.zenity.io for more.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenity-launches-genai-attacks-matrix-to-guide-security-efforts-for-genai-systems-copilots-and-agents-302266276.html

SOURCE Zenity

Continue Reading

Technology

J.S. Held Expands Executive Leadership to Oversee Next Phase of Growth

Published

on

By

JERICHO, N.Y., Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Global consulting firm J.S. Held, proudly celebrating 50 transformative years, announces Lee Spirer as its new President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), reporting to Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jonathon Held

Lee Spirer assumes the role of President & COO, working alongside J.S. Held CEO Jonathon Held.

Lee Spirer is a transformational leader with extensive experience creating value for investors in human capital-intensive businesses by focusing on developing innovative, high impact services for clients and building platforms which attract world class professionals to maximize their career success.

Over his 30-year career, Lee Spirer has been known for keen strategic insight tightly tied to successful plan execution, building and developing teams, tapping into innovation, and leveraging technology. His teams have balanced organic and acquisition-based growth strategies while driving operational performance.

CEO, Jonathon Held, commenting on Lee’s appointment to President and COO, reflects on his “extensive experience and proven ability to drive strategy focused on financial results and operational excellence.” Held continues, “I look forward to partnering with Lee to support all J.S. Held stakeholders – our team members, clients, and investors.”

Having started his professional career serving large complex clients as a strategy consultant, Spirer set the stage for his success in creating and cultivating human capital businesses including: 

Navigant, where he led the growth and transformation of the 6,000 professional company, more than doubling revenues and ultimately taking the company private and merging with Guidehouse.Kroll Risk & Compliance, where as President, he founded and built a new business intelligence division.IBM Business Consulting Services, where following the IBMs acquisition of Mainspring, a digital strategy/transformation company, he led global financial markets for the Fortune 100 company.

Over his career, Lee Spirer has operated in public and private companies, acquired and sold businesses, guided a company through an IPO, and interacted with a wide range of investors and boards. Most recently, he worked with several private equity firms to identify and evaluate potential investments. “Lee is a growth-focused business leader with a strong track record of success,” observes Steve Dutton, Partner at Kelso & Company, J.S. Held’s private equity partner. Dutton continues, “Lee’s proven ability to identify, evaluate, and drive value creation in the professional and technology-enabled services sectors makes him an ideal partner to support further growth at J.S. Held.”

Lee Spirer, commenting on what attracted him to J.S. Held, shares, “J.S. Held’s unique combination of a very strong market position on which to build, extraordinary human capital, a proven track record of organic growth, and ability to augment with acquisitions and successfully integrate those professionals presents the ideal platform for growth at all levels – presenting career opportunities for our professionals, value to our clients, and returns for investors.”  Spirer continues, “As president and COO, I am focused on further strategic growth, evolution, and scale through service innovation and technology.” 

Lee Spirer is now part of the dedicated and entrepreneurial team of experts who help transform J.S. Held. Explore our story and celebrate this momentous milestone, our 50 & Forward celebration, with us at jsheld.com.

About J.S. Held

J.S. Held is a global consulting firm that combines technical, scientific, financial, and strategic expertise to advise clients seeking to realize value and mitigate risk. Our professionals serve as trusted advisors to organizations facing high stakes matters demanding urgent attention, staunch integrity, proven experience, clear-cut analysis, and an understanding of both tangible and intangible assets. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services, products, and data that enable clients to navigate complex, contentious, and often catastrophic situations.

More than 1,500 professionals serve organizations across six continents, including 81% of the Global 200 Law Firms, 70% of the Forbes Top 20 Insurance Companies (85% of the NAIC Top 50 Property & Casualty Insurers), and 65% of the Fortune 100 Companies.

J.S. Held, its affiliates and subsidiaries are not certified public accounting firm(s) and do not provide audit, attest, or any other public accounting services. J.S. Held, its affiliates and subsidiaries are not law firms and do not provide legal advice. Securities offered through PM Securities, LLC, d/b/a Phoenix IB, a part of J.S. Held, member FINRA/ SIPC, or Ocean Tomo Investment Group, LLC, a part of J.S. Held, member FINRA/ SIPC. All rights reserved.

Kristi L. Stathis | Global Public Relations | +1 786 833 4864 | Kristi.Stathis@jsheld.com 

Find Your Expert®.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/js-held-expands-executive-leadership-to-oversee-next-phase-of-growth-302266213.html

SOURCE J.S. Held

Continue Reading

Trending