ITEM
1. BUSINESS
Corporate
History
AsiaFIN
Holdings Corp., a Nevada corporation (“the Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on June 14, 2019.
On
June 14, 2019, Mr. Wong Kai Cheong was appointed Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director.
On
September 18, 2020, Mr. Seah Kok Wah was appointed Director of the Company.
On
December 18, 2019, we, “the Company” acquired 100% of the equity interests of AsiaFIN Holdings Corp. (herein referred to
as the “Malaysia Company”), a private limited company incorporated in Labuan, Malaysia. In consideration of the equity interests
of AsiaFIN Holdings Corp. our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wong was compensated $1 HKD.
On
December 23, 2019, AsiaFIN Holdings Corp., Malaysia Company acquired AsiaFIN Holdings Limited (herein referred to as the “Hong
Kong Company”), a private limited company incorporated in Hong Kong. In consideration of the equity interests of AsiaFIN Holdings
Limited our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wong was compensated $1 HKD.
The
Company, through its subsidiaries, mainly provides consulting services to the clients. Details of the Company’s subsidiaries:
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Company name | |
Place and date of incorporation | |
Particulars of issued capital | |
Principal activities | |
Proportional of ownership interest and voting power held | |
| |
| |
| |
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1. | |
AsiaFIN Holdings Corp.
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Labuan /July 15, 2019
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1 ordinary share of US$1 each | |
Investment holding and consulting services pertaining to market studies and financial solutions | |
| 100 | % |
2. | |
AsiaFIN Holdings Limited | |
Hong Kong / July 5, 2019 | |
1 ordinary share of HKD$1 each | |
Consultancy Services on market studies and financial solutions | |
| 100 | % |
Business
Overview
AsiaFIN
Holdings Corp. is currently providing market research studies and consulting services pertaining to system solutions and integration
of unattended payment kiosks and payment processing to our clients. Our present clients, who are related parties, are payment solution
companies located in Malaysia, although we intend to provide services to other geographic regions in the future.
We
have additional plans to develop our own software, which we anticipate we will be able to be merge and integrate onto such Payment Processing
or Unattended Payment Kiosk, to accept payments and collect data. Additionally, we have plans, which we are still developing and exploring,
to create Web-Based Solutions in four areas which include Payment Processing, Regulatory Technology (REGTECH), Robotic Process Automation
(RPA) and Unattended Payment Kiosks for financial institutions, and other industries. We refer to the four pillars of our business as
“Focus Solutions”. A further elaboration will be discussed under the “Description of Business” below.
Later,
we may decide to expand upon our current plans and may also explore options of developing additional software types. We intend to utilize
existing and future relationships that may be gained by our officers and directors as a means to expand our reach across the Southeast
Asia region, which has a population of approximately 660 million individuals. We believe this market provides us a large pool of businesses
that may benefit from our current and future service offerings and or software that may become available as our business plan progresses.
Payment
Market - Asian Market
Asia
stands at the forefront of payment innovation, particularly in regards to digital and online payments, accounting for 51% of the global
market share. Asia’s market share of the global payment market grew 6% in 2020, and is projected to achieve a Compound Annual Growth
Rate (“CAGR”) of 6% from 2019 to 2024, slightly above the global GDP rate of 5%, with the majority of growth evidenced in
countries in Southeast Asia.[1]
On
the other hand, Southeast Asian countries continue to be defined by extraordinary rates of growth in digital payment markets, implying
a CAGR of 21.3% in Malaysia, 20.2% in Vietnam, 18.6% in the Philippines and Indonesia. Digital adoption in Southeast Asian countries
currently grows at a CAGR of 14%, and is expected to reach 292 million smartphone users by the end of 2020.[2]
Southeast
Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar have started to implement new payment methods like Faster payments, Bulk
payments and online payments using electronic wallets since 2018. The adoption of these new payment methods has increased significantly,
especially with the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic.
It
is expected that the global digital payment market will increase at a CAGR of 6%, with total revenues increasing by $715 billion and
surpassing $2.7 trillion by 2023. In emerging counties, electronic payments transactions are increasing at a rate of 22% over the next
five years to support revenue growth. It is projected that the global payment market will remain fairly high at 14% CAGR for the next
five years.[3]
Regtech
– Asian Market
RegTech
is the management of regulatory processes within the financial industry via technology, including regulatory monitoring, reporting and
compliance. In recent years, there has been a strong regulatory focus on financial crime. The key drivers of RegTech adoption consist
of compliance, cost, and complexity. The ability of RegTech using technologies such as advanced analytics, robotic process automation
and cognitive computing offer new efficiencies in compliance, which offers a lower cost.[4]
The
RegTech market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.5%, from USD 4.3 billion to USD 12.3 billion by 2023. Asia-Pacific is expected to
become the new engine of Regtech growth and innovation, contributing 20% of the global market share, lagging only the American market.
While most RegTech firms are based in the United States and Europe, local players are starting to appear in Asia especially in Malaysia.[5]
Monetary
Authority of Singapore (MAS) adopted RegTech at an early stage in 2017 along with the release of the “Financial Services Industry
Transformation Map” to make Singapore the leading global financial centre in Asia. In September 2020, MAS was awarded the “Global
Impact” award at the Central Banking FinTech RegTech awards.[6] On the other hand, Hong Kong plans to launch a series
of RegTech specific projects focusing on AML, prudential risk management and compliance, study on machine-readable regulations and exploration
of RegTech.
In
Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has initiated a standard reporting platform based on XBRL in 2012, which requires all Reporting
Entities (RE) to adopt RegTech in their data reporting systems. This includes all statistics reporting, credit risk and international
transactions exposure assets and liabilities. Similar initiatives have been adopted by the Securities Commission for all publicly listed
companies.
The
RegTech industry is now moving into the third stage from ‘know your customer’ to ‘know your data’, as financial
institutions start to view risks and regulations as data and prediction problems that can be addressed by technology. Despite the popularity
of adopting RegTech, it is not a solution for all corporate governance and risk management issues. Data quality is a major key factor
to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of RegTech.
Hence,
Companies may require data quality improvement beforehand in a more well-mannered way and may adopt a hybrid of humanity and RegTech
in order to make compliance decisions, as opposed to a full dependence on technology.[7] Therefore, with accurate data quality,
the potential of RegTech can be maximized and can be used in different industries to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
[1]
Global Payments Report 2019: Amid sustained growth, accelerating challenges demand bold actions -https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Financial%20Services/Our%20Insights/Tracking%20the%20sources%20of%20robust%20payments%20growth%20McKinsey%20Global%20Payments%20Map/2019-Global-Payments-Report.ashx
[2]
The Next 600 million -
https://www.adyen.com/dam/jcr:72351376-9e2e-4f30-84d1-d5612fe2c48d/VID-1591%2
[3]
Global Payments Report 2019: Amid sustained growth, accelerating challenges demand bold actions -https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Financial%20Services/Our%20Insights/Tracking%20the%20sources%20of%20robust%20payments%20growth%20McKinsey%20Global%20Payments%20Map/2019-Global-Payments-Report.ashx
[4]
There’s a revolution coming: Embraving the challenge of the new RegTech era - https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/cn/pdf/en/2019/06/embracing-the-challenge-of-the-new-regtech-era.pdf
[5]
The Evolving regtech Landscape in Asia -
https://www.brinknews.com/the-evolving-regtech-landscape-in-asia/
[6]
Asia-Pacific financial services regulatory outlook 2019 - https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/financial-services/deloitte-au-fs-apac-regulatory-outlook-2019-140119.pdf
[7]
Is RegTech The Answer To Corporate Governance And Risk Management Issues? - https://www.forbes.com/sites/nizangpackin/2019/02/08/is-regtech-the-answer-to-corporate-governance-and-risk-management-issues/#5a238c2ffb49
Robotic
Process Automation
Robotic
Process Automation (RPA) also called “intelligent automation” or “smart automation” refers to advanced technologies
that can be programmed to perform a series of tasks, like data manipulation, triggering responses, and creating necessary communication
with other processes and systems. RPA is similar to traditional IT automation but the major difference between these technologies is
that RPA is, itself, capable of learning and is adaptive to changing circumstances, while a traditional IT automation system is not.[8]
In Asia-Pacific, the RPA market size is estimated to be USD $29 Billion, implying 203% growth by 2021.[9]
The
factor that is driving the growth of this market is the high level of cost savings for businesses. Since robots are utilized for the
processes it helps reduce operational costs and also the costs arising from human error. Thus, a onetime investment on RPA ensures high
returns to businesses who are more than eager to integrate these processes in their workflows. The adoption of RPA among SMEs, especially
financial services, are causing market growth to thrive. The increasing shift toward cloud-based solutions and the increasing adoption
of robot-based solutions in different industries are expected to create new opportunities for the establishment of the robotic process
automation market globally. Asia-Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest growing market during the forecasted period. The development
of Asian countries and the demand for consumer electronic products is forcing manufacturers to adopt cost-effective technology in the
manufacturing process. With rapid advancements in digitization and information technology, the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow
at the highest CAGR in robotic process automation market.
The
cost of Labour in the Southeast Asia region has required the significant use of RPA to augment the need to hire more staff to perform
mundane and repetitive tasks. The use of RPA has been the buzz word in all business sectors starting in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
Philippines and Indonesia.
Unattended
Payment Kiosk
The
world is moving to a technological era where human interaction to perform daily tasks is falling rapidly. The unattended and self-service
kiosk market worldwide was valued at US$23.45 billion in 2018 and is set to grow with a CAGR of 9.1% during the forecast period[10].
The market is primarily driven by the growing adoption of smart technologies in retail and banking industries. Globally, unattended or
self-service kiosk desks are being implemented mainly to develop operational efficiency with the aim of time management. Additionally,
the development of modern infrastructure and smart cities is increasing the significance of kiosks and thus has spurred its adoption
across various developed and developing regions. Furthermore, apart from commercial applications, self-service kiosks systems have gained
momentum in the industrial sector.
As
mentioned earlier, payment at a kiosk is often the preferred option for consumers these days, as kiosks are benefiting from vastly improved
designs and are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology to meet consumers’ needs. Meeting consumers’ needs also
means that use cases will proliferate — as will the settings in which smart kiosks will be found.[11] In the long run,
companies could reduce costs by being able to serve more customers with the same number of, or fewer, staff, and kiosks are also very
effective in terms of retail space.
With
the recent Covid-19 outbreak that has negatively affected the world, society prefers to perform their tasks, such as paying utility bills,
without any human interaction. As such, the unattended payment kiosk could see a further increase in popularity as an alternative method
of payment.
[8]
Robotic process automation market- growth, trends, and forecast (2019 - 2024) -https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/robotic-process-automation-market
[9]
Adoption of RPA in Asia – Myth or Reality? -
https://www.pwccn.com/en/consulting/publications/adoption-of-rpa-in-asia.pdf
[10]
The Interactive and Self-Service Kiosk Market to 2027 - Growing Adoption of Smart Technologies in Retail and Banking Industries
is the Primary Driver
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-interactive-and-self-service-kiosk-market-to-2027—growing-adoption-of-smart-technologies-in-retail-and-banking-industries-is-the-primary-driver-301003887.html
[11]
Looking Toward Unattended Retail’s ‘Bright Future’ At The Kiosk
https://www.pymnts.com/unattended-retail/2019/worldnet-kiosk-vending/
Our
Solution and Services
AsiaFIN
Holdings Corp, through its Malaysia and Hong Kong subsidiaries, is currently providing market research studies and consultancy services
pertaining to system solutions and integration of unattended payment kiosks and payment processes to its clients, who are related parties,
which are primarily payment solution companies in Malaysia. Although at present we currently provide services solely to companies located
in Malaysia, it is the Company’s intention to expand our service area to companies located in Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and
other areas of the South East Asia region. The purpose of our Hong Kong subsidiary is, in part, for geographic convenience pertaining
to our speculative future expansion efforts. We aspire to enhance the efficiency of our clients’ financial services system through
information technology and by promoting a Web-Based solution to our customers in addition to providing consulting services. Our mission
is to become the “ecosystem enabler” through our solutions in Payment Processing, Regulatory Technology (REGTECH), Robotic
Process Automation (RPA) and Unattended Payment Kiosks that help to facilitate the business operations, and assist with system integration,
for merchants and entrepreneurs in Asia.
Below
are the progressive stages on how we provide, or will provide, our services to our clients:
|
1. |
Initiate
– Our officers will schedule a meeting with potential clients. With the skill and knowledge of our officers, one of whom is
a technical engineer himself, we will meet and attempt to understand the client’s business objectives and their business requirements
through conversation. |
|
2. |
Assessment
– Next, we will schedule a management team interview with our client where data or other information will be collected. Our
officer(s) will assess the limitations the client is facing, and help the client identify their desired outcomes. A recommendation
will usually be developed at this stage. |
|
3. |
Contracting
– We will demonstrate a proposal of our recommended solution for the client’s system implementation purposes and provide
our quotation for the services. When the recommendation is accepted, we will enter into a service agreement with our clients. At
this stage, we are focused on providing consultancy services, and developing a plan of action, for our clients’ needs. |
|
4. |
Monitoring
- Next, we will, subsequent to receiving an explanation from our client on their current system and resources, we will provide consultancy
pertaining to an improved system implementation plan to our client. We will assist in monitoring the project integration progress
and provide feedback to our client. |
|
5. |
Sign-off
– After the implementation is completed, and the client is satisfied with the changes, we will send a sign-off form for our
client to sign and the consulting process will end here. The duration of our services, from Initiation to Sign-Off, will vary widely
based on the specific needs and goals of each client. |
Payment
Processing
As
the cashless era is developing rapidly due to the ease of accessing the internet, people are slowly shifting from cash payment to e-payment
in order to perform transactions. AsiaFIN is currently acting as a consultant and payment solution advisor to financial institutions
and payment providers, we aim to shape their strategy, co-create new payment services, and transform their payment solutions to a more
optimized model for their business. The company believes that with a suitable model of payment solution, it will increase the likelihood
of consumers using the payment system to perform day to day transactions. Payment gateway (it authorizes payments such as e-commerce
transactions then securely transmits data to the processor to process) and payment processor (it connects the merchant accounts and the
e-payment gateway to pass information securely to settle the payment) are two major components of a payment transaction.
AsiaFIN
is currently providing consulting services pertaining to system solutions and integration to its clients. In the near future, AsiaFIN
plans to develop its own Web based solutions on payment processing to financial institutions and payment system providers, that is capable
of supporting the Straight Through Processing (STP) of all types of payment transactions. AsiaFIN plans to approach digital software
solution providers like Silverlake Axis Limited, Temenos, to acquire our solutions for the integration of their payment system to multiple
payment gateways (e.g. Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT), Instant Interbank Fund Transfer (IBTF),
Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), etc). Our solution intends to support all integration methods which include IBM Websphere MQ Series,
etc. Our 3 main key points for the characteristics of our payment software solution are, flexibility, security, and scalability:
Flexibility
– Our software would be flexible and extendable to interface with various types of payment gateways (e.g. SWIFT, RTGS, IBFT and
etc);
Security
– All data would be highly encrypted and can be decrypted only with our proprietary software; and
Scalability
– Our solution shall be a stable product which is easy to configure to support 3-tier architecture (a client-server architecture
in which the functional process logic, data access, computer data storage and user interface are developed and maintained as independent
modules on separate platforms).
RegTech
AsiaFIN
plans to develop a software solution on regulatory and financial reporting (RegTech) which could integrate with XBRL reporting and other
compliance reporting required by Regulatory agencies such as Central Bank, Securities Commission, Tax Authority Department and Companies
Registry. Further, we hope to integrate with the Reporting system of ICT providers or digital software solution providers in these ASEAN
countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia to ease and quicken the adoption of this reporting standard. We also plan to have strategic
collaboration with the ICT providers and reporting software solution providers in these ASEAN countries. We believe with our CEO and
director’s extensive experience in the Financial IT industry, professional network in the ICT industry and technological knowledge,
it could ease the integration and collaboration process.
Additionally,
the company plans to further develop this RegTech software solution, as mentioned above, in Web-Based to support professional service
providers such as business consultants, accountants, tax agents or tax consultants to manage all the regulatory report preparation and
automated report submission in a single platform, in order for them to file their reports to the Regulatory Bodies.
The
aforementioned solutions would provide facility to generate reports by integrating interfaces with source system. With this system, professional
service provider firms and consultant firms would be able to extract data from source systems, massage and merge with required business
rules and reporting logic, and make it into a report format required by Regulatory Bodies.
At
present, all plans pertaining to the creation of a software solution on regulatory and financial reporting are in development, and we
cannot state with any certainty how much time, capital, or other resources will be required to complete development of a RegTech platform.
Robotic
Process Automation
The
Company plans to develop Robotic Process Automation software solutions for financial institutions with a focus on the beginning stages
of the financial institutions’ payment system pertaining to Customer Acquisition. Our system will automate the capturing of customer
information from identity cards, passports and other identification peripherals. Our solution will automatically extract data from customers’
identity card, passport, etc. and will immediately fill-in the forms, eliminating the friction and errors caused by manual input, through
Optical Character Recognition technology. Information extracted from an official identification document will then be checked against
existing financial institutions database for regulatory screening in Internal Blacklist Check, Anti Money Laundering, Credit Scoring
Check, FATCA and Common Reporting Standard (CRS), etc. Upon successful developing such solutions, we will mobilize the platform for the
ease of financial institutions to run their operations outside the branch with speedy operation turn-around time by automating the customer
profile screening process. However, at the moment we do not have a definite plan for development, and it is possible that our current,
preliminary, plans may change significantly over time.
AsiaFIN
plans to first roll out our RPA solutions into South East Asia countries i.e. Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar and
thereafter to other Asia countries like Dubai. In addition, AsiaFin will seek to form joint ventures or strategic collaborations with
software solution providers in Asian countries to facilitate the integration of the system and market development in Asian countries.
At
present, all plans pertaining to the creation of Robotic Process Automation are in development and we cannot state with any certainty
how much time, capital, or other resources will be required to complete development of a Robotic Process Automation solution.
Unattended
Payment Kiosk
The
usage of unattended payment kiosk is increasing rapidly, thereby resulting in a higher demand. There are different types of unattended
payment kiosks, and many of them have different functions such as ticketing, bill payment, etc. We are currently providing consulting
services to unattended payment kiosk providers pertaining to the features of the unattended payment kiosks they intend to manufacture
with new technology. With the experience of our officers and directors in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry, we
believe that we are able to benefit unattended payment kiosk providers by making recommendations pursuant to the needs of consumers.
The company also plans to have strategic collaboration with electronic payment system providers such as Touch ’n Go, a Malaysian
well known provider for toll expressway and highway operators pertaining to system integration with unattended payment kiosks. At present,
remain in the preliminary phase of our study on the potential integration of Touch ’n Go with unattended payment kiosks, and cannot
state with certainty when we will progress beyond this phase.
Future
Plan
Marketing
AsiaFIN
plans to participate frequently in several international or regional scale industry roadshows, conferences, and exhibitions to promote
its Focus Solutions to potential markets in Asia. And with planned participation in Award programs, AsiaFIN can be recognized as a premium
solution provider in Asia. For example, Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (“GITEX”) Technology Week in Dubai, CES annual
trade show organized by Consumer Technology Association in Las Vegas, Singapore Fintech Festival organized by Monetary Authority of Singapore
in Singapore, and Robotic Process and Intelligence Automation Conference in Malaysia.
We
believe that while displaying our company through customized exhibition stands, banners, counters, brochures and leaflets at these events
or exhibition, we will be able to draw attention from the participants. We will then network and register these participants into our
prospective client list. Post event, we will utilize these connections by scheduling meetings in person with these prospects to demo
our proposed solutions (these proposed solutions maybe currently owned by third party or own by us in future).
We
have developed our website at https://asiafingroup.com/ to market our services, and we intend to utilize search engine marketing to improve
the visibility of our corporate website once we have successfully raised some funds. We also plan to explore omnichannel marketing options
through different social medias such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, to do a marketing campaign via direct messaging.
We
also plan on reaching out to associations or any other organisations such as the FinTech Association of Malaysia (“FOAM”)
once we have made contact thorough our marketing efforts. We plan to start email marketing campaigns and send out emails to a large database
associated with these organisations accumulated through their memberships, pending formalization of any collaboration with these associations
or organisations.
In
addition, AsiaFIN plans to create market expansion through joint ventures or strategic collaborations with software solution providers
and unattended payment kiosk providers in ASEAN countries such as Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and will then
further expand to the rest of countries in Asia. All of the above marketing plans have not yet been determined in sufficient detail to
outline at this time and remain under development.
Competition
AsiaFIN
plans to operate in a highly competitive industry. We intend to focus on selling our Focus Solutions to companies in Asia, with a particular
focus on ASEAN countries. Although there are numerous alternatives, we intend to distinguish ourselves by creating a strong relationship
with our clients and by ensuring our commitment to provide exceptional solutions.
By
ensuring high customer satisfaction for our clients, we hope to ensure repeat sales from the same customers and generate the referral
of new clients. In addition, AsiaFIN will participate strongly in industry roadshows and conferences to promote our solutions to potential
markets in Asia. We intend to participate in Award programs, so we can be recognised as a premium solution provider in Asia. We intend
to use all available social media, for example LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to promote our solutions. Lastly, the Company intends
to encourage our existing clients to furnish recommendation letters and organize signing ceremonies to further increase awareness of
our solutions and AsiaFIN in the future.
Customers
For
the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company has generated $0 revenue from customers through the services rendered to clients pursuant
to market research and consultancy service on Unattended Payment Kiosk and payment processes.
Employees
Our
company consists of three employees which includes our Chief Executive Officer Mr. Wong Kai Cheong, our Executive Director, Mr. Seah
Kok Wah and our Finance Manager, Ms Cham Hui Yin. Currently, all of our employees, Officers and/or Directors have the flexibility to
work on our business up to 30 hours per week but are prepared to devote more time if necessary. As our business and operations increase,
we plan to hire full time management, technical and administrative support personnel.
We
do not presently have pension, health, annuity, insurance, stock options, profit sharing, or similar benefit plans; however, we may adopt
plans in the future. There are presently no personal benefits available to our employees, Officers and/or Directors.
Government
Regulation
We
are subject to a variety of foreign, federal, state and local governmental laws and regulations related to data protection, anti-money
laundering and intellectual property. If we fail to comply with present or future financial system laws and regulations, we could be
subject to fines, suspension of production or a cessation of operations. In addition, under some foreign, federal, state and local statutes
and regulations, a governmental agency may seek recovery and response costs from operators that violates the laws such as data breaching
or illegal use of intellectual property, even if the operator was not responsible for the release or otherwise was not at fault.
If
we become aware of the need for any permits necessary to conduct our operations, then we will apply for and attempt to receive all financial
system related intellectual property or permits necessary to conduct our business. As of the current date, we are not aware of any intellectual
property or license that need to be registered from foreign, federal, state or local agencies. Any failure by us to control the use of
other’s intellectual property or data breaching could subject us to substantial financial liabilities, operational interruptions
and adverse publicity, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We
have listed the primary, but not necessarily only, rules and regulations that we believe apply to our business below:
Malaysia
1) |
Financial
Services Act 2013 (FSA) and the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA) |
The
FSA and IFSA came into force in 2013 replacing the repealed Payment System Act 2003 (PSA) The FSA and IFSA incorporates strengthened
provisions to regulate payment system operators and payment instrument issuers in order to promote safe, efficient and reliable payment
systems and instruments. Operators of systems that enable the transfer of funds from one banking account to another or provide payment
instrument network operation will require approval from the Central Bank of Malaysia to operate such systems. As for those wishing to
offer merchant acquiring services, such person is required to be registered with the Central Bank of Malaysia.
The
FSA and IFSA contain provisions that enable Central Bank of Malaysia to effectively perform its oversight role. In general, this includes
empowering the Bank to specify standards, as well as, to issue directions, for the purpose of ensuring the safety, integrity, efficiency
and reliability of the payment systems and payment instruments
2) |
Personal
Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA). |
Personal
Data Protection Department (PDPD) is an agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was established
on May 16, 2011 after the Parliament passed the bill relating to the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) of Act 709. The main responsibility
of this department is to oversee the processing of personal data of individuals involved in commercial transactions by User Data that
is not misused and misapplied by the parties concerned.
Based
on laws and regulations regarding PDPA requires that an individual must consent to the processing and disclosure of his/her personal
data. In processing personal data, we are also required to take steps and implement measures to protect the personal data from loss,
misuse and modification and maintain the integrity of the personal data processed. The personal data processed should not be kept longer
than is necessary for the fulfillment of the purpose for which it was collected and generally cannot be transferred offshore without
the consent of the individual to whom it relates.
3) |
Anti-Money
Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFA) |
The
AMLATFA provides for the offence of money laundering, the measures to be taken for the prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing
offenses, investigation powers and the forfeiture of property involved in or derived from money laundering and terrorism financing offenses,
as well as terrorist property, proceeds of an unlawful activity and instrumentalities of an offenses.
Under
the Guidelines, the level and frequency of due diligence required should be commensurate with the level of money laundering and terrorism
financing risk posed by the customer based on the risk profiles and nature of the transactions. AMLATFA provides for substantial monetary
and imprisonment penalties for the failure to comply with the preventive measures laid down in AMLATFA. Similarly, failure to comply
with the Guidelines may be an offense.
4) |
Intellectual
Property Protection |
Intellectual
property system in Malaysia is administered by the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), an agency under the Ministry
of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. Intellectual property protection in Malaysia comprises of patents, trademarks, industrial designs,
copyright and etc.
The
Patents Act 1983 and the Patents Regulations 1986 govern patent protection in Malaysia. An applicant may file a patent application directly
if he is domicile or resident in Malaysia. A foreign application can only be filed through a registered patent agent in Malaysia acting
on behalf of the applicant. Under the Act, the utility innovation certificate provides for an initial duration of ten years protection
from the date of filing of the application and renewable for further two consecutive terms of five years each subject to use
Trade
mark protection is governed by the Trade Marks Act 1976 and the Trade Marks Regulations 1997. The Act provides protection for registered
trademarks and service marks in Malaysia. Once registered, no person or enterprise other than its proprietor or authorized users may
use them. Infringement action can be initiated against abusers. The period of protection is ten years, renewable for a period of every
ten years thereafter. The proprietor of the trade mark or service mark has the right to deal or assign as well as to license its use.
As with patents, while local applicant may file applications on their own, foreign applicants will have to do so through registered trade
mark agents.
The
Copyright Act 1987 provides comprehensive protection for copyright works. The Act outlines the nature of works eligible for copyright
(which includes computer programs), the scope of protection, and the manner in which the protection is accorded. Copyright subsists in
every work eligible for copyright protection of which the author is a qualified person.
The
Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012 entered into force on 1 March 2012. The Act was amended to be in line with technological development and
to adhere to the international IP conventions/treaties relating to copyright and related rights.
Malaysia’s
transition to a digital economy, the imposition of 6% service tax on foreign digital services (“Digital Tax”) came into force
on 1 January 2020 pursuant to the Service Tax (Amendment) Act 2019. With the inception of this Digital Tax, foreign service providers
(“FSPs”) are now required to account and pay a service tax of 6% on any digital services provided by an FSP to consumers
in Malaysia, including services provided by businesses to consumers.
The
Act defines “digital service” as any service that is delivered or subscribed over the internet or other electronic network
and which cannot be obtained without the use of information technology and where the delivery of the service is essentially automated.
Under the Guide, it further is stated that “[d]igital services means services that is to be delivered through information technology
medium with minimal or no human intervention from service provider.”
Hong
Kong
1) |
Anti-Money
Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (AMLO) (Cap. 615) |
This
Ordinance provides for the statutory requirements relating to customer due diligence (CDD) and record-keeping for all financial institutions,
which include money remitters and money exchangers (collectively referred to as money service operators and making such an obligation
legally enforceable.
In
the event that the CDD requirements are not met, this would be classified as an offence under the AMLO. Enforcement action would then
be taken by the relevant regulator, such as Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Securities and Futures Commission (Hong Kong) , depending
on the financial institution involved in the breach.. In addition, in regards to money service operators, the Customs and Excise Department
will be the regulator and will be responsible for taking enforcement action for any breach of the CDD requirements
2) |
Intellectual
Property Protection |
To
underline the commitment of intellectual property protection, the Government established the Intellectual Property Department on 2 July
1990. The Intellectual Property Department is responsible for advising the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development on policies
and legislation to protect intellectual property in the Hong Kong SAR; for operating the Hong Kong SAR’s Trade Marks, Patents,
Designs and Copyright Licensing Bodies Registries; for promoting awareness and protection of intellectual property through public education;
and for facilitating the development of Hong Kong as an intellectual property trading hub in the region.
Hong
Kong SAR patent law is territorial. Patents granted in the Hong Kong SAR will only get protection in the Hong Kong SAR. The Hong Kong
SAR patent system is separate from the other patent systems in the Mainland or elsewhere in the world. In other words, patents granted
by the State Intellectual Property Office in the Mainland or other patent offices elsewhere do not automatically enjoy protection in
Hong Kong.
The
Hong Kong SAR’s trade mark registration system is separate from the other trade mark systems in the Mainland or elsewhere in the
world. Trade marks registered with the Trademark Office under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People’s
Republic of China or trademarks registries of other countries or regions do not automatically receive protection in the Hong Kong SAR.
In order to obtain protection as registered trademarks in the Hong Kong SAR, trademarks must be registered under the Trade Marks Ordinance
(Cap 559).
3) |
Personal
Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) (Cap. 486) |
The
Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) is the main legislation in Hong Kong that regulates the collection, use, transfer, processing
and storage of personal data and regulates both private and public sectors. However, some data users may be exempt from certain requirements
under the PDPO, for instance, where personal data is held/disclosed:
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for
domestic or recreational purposes; |
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by
a court, magistrate or a judicial officer in the course of performing judicial functions; |
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by
or on behalf of the government to safeguard Hong Kong’s security, defence or international relations; |
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to
prevent or detect crime; or |
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solely
for the purpose of a news activity. |
The
Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has issued codes of practice, guidance notes and information leaflets that
provide data protection guidance in relation to specific industry sectors and activities, for instance, employee monitoring and the collection
and use of personal data through the Internet. Although these guidelines are not legally binding, the PCPD may take into consideration
any non-compliance with these guidelines when determining whether a data user has contravened the data protection principles of the PDPO.