YAKIIMOYA, a premium organic sweet potato brand loved by Japanese, is ready to serve "guilt free" happiness for Thais with fresh imported sweet potatoes from Miyazaki Prefecture. YAKIIMOYA has opened a branch in Bangkok at Ellsie Boutique Mall Sukhumvit 33 and a promotion booth at Terminal 21 Asoke.

Roasted sweet potatoes are a popular dessert in Japan offering a healthy and organic choice of snacks.

The country's sweet potato export has increased 15 times in the past 10 years, spurred by the global "guilt-free" food trend.

Sazaka is the brand name of "Yaki-Imoya" in Japan and is recognised as "the sweetest sweet potato in the world". The produce is handled with care from farm to table. The planting is supported by research to make sure that the sweet potatoes grow in the right soil and environment. The result is the sweetness derived from the natural honey that is a part of its soft and smooth texture. The sweet potatoes can be eaten in different ways: frozen as a sorbet, warmed up to enjoy the chewiness or enjoy them hot out of the air fryer packed with a full sweet sensation.

Japanese media have fallen head over heels with Yaki Imoya sweet potatoes. NIPPON ZIP!, FNN Prime News and Gekkan EXILE have praised the product that has been awarded the Grand Pix Winner from NIPPON no Takaramoto in 2020. -2022, the Judges Award from Sweet Potato EXPO 2020 and the Judges Award from Miyazaki Food Award 2020.

Now the sweetest sweet potatoes have arrived in Thailand with franchising opportunities.

The first Thailand branch is located in central Bangkok at Ellsie Boutique Mall, Sukhumvit 33/1. Customers can enjoy sweet potatoes starting at 100 baht or can order the snacks on delivery apps such as Grab Food, LINEMAN and Foodpanda.

The brand of the sweetest sweet potatoes in the world. Imported from Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, the sweet potatoes can be found at more than 400 restaurants in Japan. Loved by both media and consumers, YAKIIMOYA is committed to providing organic sweets as a healthy gift and creating a "GUILT-FREE Precious Moment" for Thai customers.

Living with the COVID-19 pandemic, people start to recognize the equal importance of modern medicine and preventive practices in maintaining their good health and wellbeing. With a strong healthcare and wellness infrastructure and reputation for highly-skilled professionals, Thailand is more than ever ready to realize its goal to become "The Worlds's Medical and Wellness Hub". The country has pushed towards providing a comprehensive and holistic healthcare services to serve the rising consumer demand for the overall treatment of body and mind.

In 2021, Thailand has been ranked 5th place in the world, and 1st place in Asia, in the Global Health Security Index by John Hopkins University for its pandemic response capacity. The Health Care Index 2021 by CEO World magazine has ranked Thailand in the 13th place based on overall health factors.

Affordable costs, high quality medical professionals, world-class healthcare facilities and superb wellness services have propelled demand for Thailand's medical and wellness services from abroad. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the value of medical tourism in Thailand amounted to around nine billion U.S. dollars in 2019, and was forecast to reach approximately 24.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2027, according to Statista. Among the most sought-after medical services are general medical care and surgeries, sophisticated orthopedics, in vitro fertilization, dental care and physical check-up.

"The growing in strength of healthcare sector in Thailand has been supported by highly qualified and attentive medical personnels and world-class standard facilities. Of more than 370 hospitals and medical facilities, 60 of them are accredited by the US-based Joint Commission International (JCI) as of December 2021, making the country top-five in the world in terms of the number of JCI-accredited healthcare facilities," said Joel A Roos, Vice President of International Accreditation, Quality Improvement and Safety in an interview with the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal.

Building on a strong foundation, the country aims to promote ten areas of the medical and wellness services including regenerative and anti-aging sciences, alternative medicine, cardio science, musculoskeletal, dental clinic, In Vitro fertilization, cancer treatment, surgeries, ophthalmology (cataract) and precision medicine.

The traditional therapeutic treatment such as Thai massage and herbal medicine has increasingly gained worldwide recognition. Many hospitals in Thailand have bridged the gap between medical treatment and preventive care, making healthcare more effective and comprehensive. The country has also earned itself a reputation "The Spa Capital of Asia" for its top-rated wellness experience that blends a variety of traditional healing practices with state-of-the-art health and wellness technologies.

Banking on the growing awareness of alternative healthcare's benefits, especially the preventive and holistic healing effects, the Thai government has initiated Green Medicine to innovate from its rich heritage of traditional medicine. More scientific researches are being conducted to validate and develop traditional herbs for recognition and integration into modern healthcare services.

It's high time to embrace modern and traditional solutions for healthier and happier life.

Global skincare brand POND'S partners with Southeast Asia's leading e-commerce platform Lazada to launch their biggest regional beauty campaign of the year—POND'S x LazMall Glow Like Wendy Brand Day, a 3-day event from 11 to 15 October featuring POND'S new brand ambassador Wendy from Red Velvet, one of the world's most popular K-Pop groups.

Wendy is the face of POND'S for the first ever POND'S Bright Beauty 3D Glow Serum, the latest breakthrough serum that works 60 times better than Vitamin C to brighten, smoothen, and hydrate skin for the ultimate Korean glow. Packed with 3 most potent skin perfecting ingredients including GlutaBoost- C, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide - the lightweight formula is proven to be effective yet gentle on skin and suitable for all skin types. 91% of testers* said their skin is visibly brighter after usage and Lazada shoppers are also giving raving reviews, with a rating of 4.9/5. What's more - the total POND'S Bright Beauty range, consisting of day cream and cleanser, has also been infused with the power of serum.

The upcoming campaign will combine Wendy's beauty and skincare expertise sharing with the rising popularity of live-streaming in these markets. The Glow like Wendy Live Event on LazLive 11 October 12pm will be a high production event, featuring an exclusive interview with the "Queen of K-pop", where she will answer fan questions and share about her skincare routine, her secrets to achieving her signature glowing skin, and her experience in her first-ever solo brand partnership. Viewers stand a chance to win exclusive Wendy merchandise during the livestream by participating in games and Q&As!

In addition to exclusive Wendy interview content, the livestream will be packed with a fun-filled line up of activities featuring beauty influencers, Viwan Amy Kongyoth, Brinkkty, and Chopleum, who will also share their expert beauty tips.

The partnership with Lazada further cements POND'S goal to aggressively grow its e-commerce business and ramp up growth in Southeast Asia over the next five years. [1] The brand aims to leverage on consumer insights and e-commerce best practices to remain one of the leading skincare brands in the region. POND'S Global Brand Vice President Rohit Bhasin shared that "Lazada is an excellent platform for this live event—they've grown to be an exciting beauty destination in Southeast Asia, and they're constantly innovating for better experiences. We're certain that our partnership will make way for pioneering more skincare initiatives in the region."

"We are excited to partner with POND'S to bring consumers a unique LazMall shopping experience that guarantees 100% product quality and authenticity coupled by interactive LazLive content to truly engage customers. Through Lazada, we hope shoppers will not only enjoy exclusive promotions, but also have a chance to get to learn more about the brand's story," said Pierre Beckers, Regional LazMall FMCG Director, Lazada Group.

KASINKORNBANK (KBank) has announced a US$ 2.7 billion strategic programme aimed at boosting access to banking services among Thailand's unbanked and underbanked population as well as very small businesses and the self-employed. The programme includes accelerated investments in technology, technology-related acquisitions, commercial partnerships, organisational development, as well as adopting other technology-driven methods to boost access to banking services among a broader range of the public.

Ms. Kattiya Indaravijaya, Chief Executive Officer, KASIKORNBANK, said, "We're taking a bold step, and, through technological leadership, aim to transform banking in Thailand in ways that can help more people enter the banking system and benefit from banking products and services.

"We're already a bank that has the great strengths and reliability of a traditional bank serving a wide range of customers. What we're now doing is to fuse on to that successful core the disruptive DNA of a 'challenger bank'."

Challenger banks have been a disruptive phenomenon in many countries 'challenging' legacy banks by using new technology to make banking products more accessible. Challenger banks have also appealed to traditional bank customers by eliminating cumbersome processes and providing faster services that are easy to use, available everywhere, and always-on.

"By fusing the DNA of a 'challenger bank', we want to be a bank that empowers a whole new generation of Thais, who are rich with ability and energy, to gain access to banking products and advice.

"We want to give more loans without collateral and based on a borrower's real ability and intention to repay. We want to make it easier for everyone to apply from the privacy of their homes or offices. We want to remove processes and paperwork and to make things really simple. And we want it all to happen for the customer much, much faster."

Ms. Indaravijaya said, "We have embarked on our strategic programme to fully harness emerging technologies to conduct more complete evaluations of a customer's ability and willingness to pay back a loan.

"These more sophisticated evaluations of a small customer's potential to be a responsible borrower will enable millions more individuals, the self-employed, and very small businesses to enter the banking system as well as free many from the debt trap of loan sharks who charge interest, often at over 200% a year."

During this and the next two years, KBank is investing around US$ 610 million in new technology and systems, in addition to US$ 350 million invested during the last two years.

KBank disclosed that it also expects to complete, in the next 12 months, between two to five acquisitions and commercial collaborations with technology-related enterprises with investments of up to US$ 840 million.

KBank is now piloting specialised buy-now-pay-later loans for those who are self-employed or have no documents to prove their income, by evaluating their credit-worthiness on alternative data.

KBank is now piloting specialised buy-now-pay-later loans for those who are self-employed or have no documents to prove their income, by evaluating their credit-worthiness on alternative data. In the last several months, KBank has been approving an average of 1,600 loan applications, daily, using this method, and the loan amount is usually at around US$ 40, with some cases going up to US$ 560.

"We are the only bank to do this, and are very encouraged that many of these people are likely to have never been given a loan by a bank and are probably among the most vulnerable victims of loan-sharks. This first small loan becomes a bridge that helps them cross into the banking system. And, as they gain self-confidence in managing these loans and repay, they can gradually increase their loan size based on their performance, as well as be empowered with other, more specialised products," Ms. Indaravijaya said.

KBank is also working with a major retail group to give upcountry mom-and-pop store operators easier access to loans without collateral, as well as providing loans to the stores' customers.

As at 31 March 2022, KBank and its subsidiaries' total assets were Baht 4,133,248 million, an increase of Baht 29,849 million or 0.73% over the end of 2021, ranking it the second in Thailand based on loan market share.