Day: February 10, 2022

BEIJING, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hosting the Olympic Games is a great honor for any city; having the opportunity to do it twice means greater recognition and responsibility. As the first dual Olympic city in modern history, Beijing has attracted global attention with the ongoing Winter Olympics. Several diplomats and heads of international organizations have voiced their support and penned articles for CGTN special column Decision Makers, which is a global platform for influential leaders to share their insights on events shaping today’s world.

Siddharth Chatterjee, resident coordinator of the United Nations in China, said it is a privilege to lead the UN in China as the Games return to Beijing. “With the world still battling challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, compassion and solidarity have never been more critical.”

Chinese Ambassador to Germany Wu Ken said the Winter Olympics is not only a venue for athletes but also a silver-lining event in a pandemic-clouded world to promote mutual understanding, a view shared by Zhang Hanhui, Chinese ambassador to Russia. Zhang stated, “We need more than ever to build consensus upon the Olympic spirit, and the 2022 Beijing Olympics serve as a platform for countries to stand side by side.”

John Aquilina, ambassador of Malta to China, echoed this sentiment. On the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malta and China, Aquilina said both the 2008 and the 2022 Olympics showcase outstanding sporting achievements and help promote world harmony and peace.

As the sole representative of foreign diplomats to participate in the Beijing 2022 torch relay, Greek Ambassador to China Georgios Iliopoulos said he felt very proud of being part of the Games. Athens revived the modern Olympic Games in 1896; with Beijing as the host city this year, the event will bring Greece and China closer.

President of the International Ski Federation Johan Eliasch believed the principles of the Olympic movement still hold the same fascination today. “Beijing hosting the Winter Games is the result of China’s commitment to prioritize the development of snow sports, and it will take snow sports to the next level.”

Ruggero Alcanterini, president of the Italian National Committee for Fair Play, commended China’s contributions to the Olympics, while he criticized the diplomatic “boycott” announced by the U.S. Those who attempted to escalate the situation have “undermined the development of the delicate process for harmonious coexistence of peoples.”

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1743989/image_1.jpg

DUBAI, UAE, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Statistics show that, on average, women earn better investment returns, have a higher savings rate, and invest more consistently compared to men. And yet, fewer women invest than men. So why does the “gender investing gap” still exist?

StashAway will explore this question and more in its first masterclass series. She Invests will cover Personal Finance and Investing Basics, Investing in Your Beliefs with Thematic Investing, Digital Assets and Gender-equal practices at the Workplace.

Nandini Joshi, StashAway COO, says, “Compared to men, women tend to live longer, defer financial planning to their partners, and take time off work to look after their families. So it’s crucial that women take charge of their long-term financial planning and retirement needs. She Invests will immerse women in the full spectrum of financial planning opportunities, from investing in the S&P500 to understanding the world of crypto and NFTs.”

Michele Ferrario, StashAway Co-founder and CEO, adds, “Data shows that 94% of men want their partners to be involved in financial decisions. And the majority of women who defer financial decisions to their partners also want to be involved^[1]. She Invests doubles down on StashAway’s efforts to equip everyone with the knowledge and tools to have that conversation at home about financial planning, and ultimately build and manage wealth for the long term.”

She Invests is an extension of StashAway Academy, the company’s free personal finance course, which has seen more than 16,000 female attendees across 5 markets. And the results speak for themselves: Clients who identify as female now make up half of StashAway’s client base, up from 10% from the company’s launch 5 years ago.

About StashAway

StashAway is a digital wealth manager that offers investment portfolios and wealth management solutions for both retail and professional investors and operates in Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East and North Africa, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

In January 2021, the company surpassed $1 billion USD in assets under management. It achieved this milestone faster than it took the world’s largest digital wealth managers, Betterment and Wealthfront, to reach the same milestone. In 2020, StashAway was recognised as a Technology Pioneer by The World Economic Forum and a Top 10 LinkedIn Startup.

StashAway has raised US$ 61.4 Million in 6 rounds of financing. Lead investors include Asia Capital & Advisors, Eight Roads Ventures, Square Peg, and Sequoia Capital.

• Leap Scholar is South Asia’s largest study abroad platform with a growing community of over 1 million students
• The startup has appointed Zuhaib Khan as VP – International Expansion, to spearhead the company’s expansion plans globally
• Over the next year, the startup plans to invest over $20 million to build a world-class team in the region to serve the end-to-end study abroad needs, wants, and aspirations of students and parents
• Students in the region will be able to avail offerings and services such as counseling, profile building, test preparation, university shortlisting, application, and visa assistance among others

BENGALURU, India, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Leap Scholar, South Asia’s largest study abroad platform, with products and services in overseas education today announced its expansion into the Middle East region. The San Francisco-headquartered company plans to invest $20 million over the next one year to establish a world-class team in the region to serve the end-to-end study abroad needs of students and parents. The startup has raised over $75 million in venture capital from marquee investors including Sequoia Capital, Owl Ventures, Jungle Ventures, and Harvard Management Company among others. Since its inception in 2019, Leap Scholar has built a growing community of over 1 Million study abroad aspirants.

With its foray into the Middle East, Leap Scholar aims to enable and empower millennials in achieving their global education and professional goals. The key offerings that students will be able to avail include study abroad counseling, test preparation for standardized exams like SAT, ACT, IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo, GRE, GMAT etc., university application, visa assistance, and networking opportunities once students have got an admit in universities abroad among others. The Middle Eastern region is witnessing an upward trend as the total number of internationally mobile students is growing significantly year on year. As per Leap Scholar’s data, the most popular destinations for study abroad aspirants in the region include the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. The region is turning out to be a key market from where international students come, with a potential of around $11 Billion and over 300K study abroad aspirants currently wanting to pursue global education.

To lead the expansion of the company’s global footprint, Leap Scholar has appointed Zuhaib Khan as the VP for International Expansion. Zuhaib has over a decade of operating experience in building businesses across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in the E-commerce, Ed-Tech, and Travel sectors. In his last role, he was the CEO of the education vertical of Apeejay Stya group where he led the Group’s international expansion across 10+ countries. Before joining Apeejay, he was the Co-Founder of Shopatplaces, an e-commerce firm. His early career was in Investment Banking where he worked at JP Morgan and Casa Capital. Zuhaib holds an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University, and a B.Tech. from Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi and he is an active angel investor as well.

Commenting on his appointment and Leap Scholar’s expansion plans, Zuhaib Khan, VP, International Expansion said, “I’m honored to come on board and become a part of the vibrant team at Leap Scholar. It’s an exciting time for the organisation as we look to expand our global footprint across markets. Choosing the right course and getting an admit at the right university is a challenge for students and parents globally and we aim to be their trusted partners in this journey. Foraying into a key market like the MENA region will play a huge role in our endeavour and vision of democratising access to international education across the world.”

Leap Scholar’s offerings will now be available to students from countries such as the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Students will be able to avail free access to masterclasses and sessions led by top educators from the industry. Built on a community led approach, Leap Scholar aims to democratise access to international education for 10 million global citizens over the next decade.

Commenting on Zuhaib’s appointment and expansion in the Middle East, Vaibhav Singh, Co-founder, Leap Scholar said, “We are thrilled to have Zuhaib on board. This is a major step in our journey as we move ahead full steam in 2022 to take the Leap Scholar platform global and help millions of students achieve their international education and career dreams. We are starting with the Middle East, and we plan to subsequently expand to South East Asia, South Asia, and North Africa.”

With its expansion, Leap Scholar is disrupting the current transactional outlook to study abroad counseling. Recently, the company was featured amongst the top 100 most promising edtech startups by HolonIQ in India and South Asia, and is also one of the very few Indian edtech firms to feature in the coveted global list of 2022 GSV Edtech 150.

About Leap Scholar: 

Founded in 2019, Leap Scholar is South Asia’s largest overseas study abroad platform with products and services in overseas education. Leap Scholar has pioneered the ‘platform way’ of end-to-end services for students pursuing international education and careers, and has a thriving community of over 1 million students. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai, India. Being one of the fastest growing startups in overseas education, the company has raised over $75 million in venture capital from marquee investors including Sequoia Capital, Owl Ventures, Jungle Ventures and Harvard Management Company among others. The company is co-founded by IIT Kharagpur alumni, Vaibhav Singh and Arnav Kumar.