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UOB FinLab unveils 15 GreenTech pilots with funding of more than $100,000 to tackle sustainability challenges in ASEAN

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — UOB FinLab, the Bank’s innovation accelerator, awards a total of more than $100,000 to selected Green Technology (GreenTech) firms to pilot 15 sustainability solutions with UOB and its corporate partners across ASEAN. The pilot solutions and partnerships were unveiled today at the GreenTech Accelerator 2024 Showcase Day as part of Singapore FinTech Festival’s Insights Forum.

The GreenTech Accelerator 2024 is the second edition of UOB FinLab’s six-month regional programme that enables ASEAN GreenTech firms to grow and transform, forge partnerships and create pilots to address sustainability challenges across the region. It is designed to fast-track the development of sustainable technology solutions in Singapore and across ASEAN. This year, 33 GreenTech firms were shortlisted from more than 350 applicants to participate in the programme, of which 12 firms are from Singapore, nine from Malaysia and 12 from Thailand.

Shannon Lung, Head of UOB FinLab, said: “The GreenTech Accelerator 2024 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to build a sustainable future, leveraging collective actions and a collaborative professional network that can spur greater GreenTech breakthroughs. UOB FinLab will continue to be a catalyst for GreenTech innovation by bringing individuals, businesses, government agencies and GreenTechs together to tackle real-world sustainability challenges. We believe that with proper support from a strong network and appropriate resources, GreenTechs can make transformative progress towards ASEAN’s sustainability ambitions.”

Real challenges, Impactful solutions

According to UOB’s Business Outlook Study 2024 (SMEs & Large Enterprises), 87 per cent of businesses in ASEAN surveyed view sustainability as important for their businesses, but only 44 per cent have adopted green practices. To implement sustainability practices, about one in three cited the need for support to connect to the right solution partners. 

Addressing this need, the GreenTech Accelerator 2024 called for sustainability challenge statements from businesses across ASEAN, which highlighted real-world sustainability pain points. This year, more than 50 statements were contributed by UOB and 26 corporate partners including DKSH Healthcare, Marina Bay Sands and Ngee Ann Polytechnic from Singapore, Great Cosmo from Malaysia and IMPACT from Thailand. The challenge statements covered five key areas, namely circular economy and waste management, energy efficiency, food and agriculture, sustainable cities and urban planning, and sustainability reporting and carbon management.

During the programme, the 33 participating GreenTech firms proposed solutions based on the challenge statements and 15 pilots were selected for funding by UOB FinLab (refer to Annex for the full list of selected pilots). Six of these pilots will be deployed with corporates partners in Singapore, three pilots in Malaysia and another six pilots in Thailand.

UOB will be deploying five pilots within the Bank in Singapore and Thailand. One of the pilots is the development of a white-labelled data platform by GreenFi that enables the Bank and its subsidiaries to manage and analyse the greenhouse gas emissions data of their properties. This allows the Bank to validate emissions reporting more efficiently by eliminating manual collation of data and ensuring consistency and accuracy of the datasets.

DKSH Healthcare, part of the Swiss holding company specialising in market expansion services, will partner GreenTech firm Smart Tradzt to implement its solution that can quantify the carbon footprint and value chain collaboration of its cold chain reusable packaging. The platform will enable DKSH Healthcare to share its product carbon footprint data with clients and customers, facilitating accurate Scope 3 emissions calculations after conducting lifecycle analysis.

Malaysian plastic manufacturing company Great Cosmo will pilot GreenTech firm Co.Efficient Alpha’s voltage optimising technology in their factory. This aims to reduce energy consumption for Great Cosmo’s machineries, potentially resulting in approximately 10 per cent cost savings. In Thailand, leading event and exhibition centre IMPACT will also partner GreenTech firm GEPP Sa-Ard to pilot a holistic waste reduction programme for events held at the exhibition centre. This pilot will enable the centre, organisers and visitors to reduce waste generation, increase recycling rate and reduce overall cost of waste management.

UOB FinLab, together with its corporate partners, shortlisted the GreenTechs and their pilot solutions as they have the potential to set a new industry benchmark for sustainability practices and drive greater green adoption across ASEAN.

More programmes to drive sustainability in ASEAN

GreenTech Accelerator 2024 builds on the success of the inaugural run in 2022 in Singapore that received more than 150 applications and led to the establishment of eight pilot solutions and partnerships. This year’s programme expanded the programme’s reach beyond Singapore to UOB’s key ASEAN markets of Malaysia and Thailand.

The programme provided GreenTechs with access to masterclasses, mentorships by more than 30 regional mentors and networking opportunities. The programme also enabled the GreenTechs to deepen business connections through UOB FinLab’s vast network of 27,000 industry leaders including government agencies, solutions providers, and private and public businesses.

UOB FinLab is committed to accelerating sustainability innovation in ASEAN, with plans to launch more programmes focusing on driving adoption and innovation in sustainability in 2025. 

About UOB

UOB is a leading bank in Asia. Operating through its head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, UOB has a global network of around 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks: Aa1 by Moody’s Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.

For nearly nine decades, UOB has adopted a customer-centric approach to create long-term value by staying relevant through its enterprising spirit and doing right by its customers. UOB is focused on building the future of ASEAN – for the people and businesses within, and connecting with, ASEAN.

The Bank connects businesses to opportunities in the region with its unparalleled regional footprint and leverages data and insights to innovate and create personalised banking experiences and solutions catering to each customer’s unique needs and evolving preferences. UOB is also committed to help businesses forge a sustainable future, by fostering social inclusiveness, creating positive environmental impact and pursuing economic progress. UOB believes in being a responsible financial services provider and is steadfast in its support of art, social development of children and education, doing right by its communities and stakeholders.

About UOB FinLab

UOB FinLab is the bank’s innovation accelerator that brings the ecosystem together to catalyse business growth and transformation. With a regional presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, UOB FinLab provides access to a range of business and technology experts, tools and content through The FinLab Online and in-person programmes.

These programmes range from supporting the GreenTech and start-up community in developing solutions, to assisting the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) community in innovating for business digitalisation and sustainability transformation. Founded in 2015, UOB FinLab has supported and connected with more than 27,000 businesses globally.

Annex: List of 15 pilots from the GreenTech Accelerator 2024

No

Pilot/partnerships

Country

Description

1

Circular Unite

UOB

Singapore

Circular Unite will deploy their waste audit and profiling blueprint at UOB that allows for detailed measuring of waste generated at the tenant level at UOB Plaza.

 

This will help create waste data visibility and potentially improve operational efficiency of waste data collection.

2

GreenFi

UOB

Singapore

GreenFi is developing a white-labelled ESG data platform that enables UOB and its subsidiaries to monitor and manage ESG emissions data of their property assets. It also seeks to enhance data analysis.

3

Smart Tradzt

UOB

Singapore

Smart Tradzt will provide training, consultation and develop an RFP evaluation model for procurement within the UOB CRES team. This model aims to help assess and integrate the ESG and emissions performance of vendors into selection criteria in the long run.

 

This pilot aims to help create cost savings through better decisions in supplier selection.

4

Smart Tradzt

DKSH Healthcare

Singapore

Smart Tradzt will provide training, consultation, and implementation of its digital Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) solution to help quantify the carbon footprint of DKSH Healthcare’s reusable packaging that will replace their styrofoam packaging.

 

Smart Tradzt’s PCF platform allows DKSH Healthcare to share PCF data with its packaging customers and facilitate accurate Scope 3 emission calculations. DKSH Healthcare also plans to publish these findings in its Sustainability Report to further enhance transparency and accountability.

 

Smart Tradzt conforms to WBCSD’s PACT (Partnership for Carbon Transparency) framework.

5

Circular Unite

Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Singapore

Circular Unite will deploy a waste-tracking IoT system to enable precise waste and recycling data collection at a tenant level, for one canteen and one office block, training of operational teams and tenant engagement.

 

This will result in an increase in waste data visibility, 30% increase in recycling efficiency, 20% increase in waste disposal efficiency and 90% increase in manpower efficiency from data collection.

6

Co.Efficient

Alpha

Great Cosmo

Malaysia

Co.Efficient Alpha aims to deploy voltage optimiser across Great Cosmo’s factory to reduce energy. This will result in greater equipment efficiency, equipment lifespan, power factor improvement and reduction of harmonics.

 

Upon installing of the voltage optimiser, Great Cosmo will see approximately 10% savings and 13 tons of carbon dioxide emissions reduced a month.

7

Intlife

HCK Capital Group

Malaysia

Intlife will deploy their energy efficiency AI system, hardware and IoT devices for HCK Setia Alam Office (2,800 sqf) to enable real-time energy consumption prediction and control for operational efficiency.

 

The pilot will also serve as a live demonstration for potential customers visiting the showroom to promote the adoption of green technologies across their own properties.

8

IVIS Tech

Great Cosmo

Malaysia

IVIS Tech will deploy a combination of hardware which includes IoT sensors, power meters and digital gateways on site at the production line for Great Cosmos at their manufacturing facility in Rawang City.

 

IVIS Tech will log data for the operations in the facility over a period of six (6) months to provide real-time visualisation of energy usage to understand better on the current processes that can be optimised.

9

Wimera

GB Industries

Malaysia

GB Industries wants to monitor energy consumption in different areas such as water heater area, dipping area, packaging area and water treatment area. Wimera is proposing their cloud-based energy monitoring solution for 1x water heater with 1x power meter for the pilot.

 

This will result in reduction in the energy consumption from GB Industries’ water heater area which currently contains 15 water heaters and consumes approximately 80k kWh of energy per month.

10

AltoTech

UOB Thailand

Thailand

AltoTech Global will provide technology to help analyse energy consumption patterns at UOB Plaza Bangkok, find gaps for energy efficiency improvement, and propose automation recommendations to help reduce energy use and cut carbon emissions.

11

Nano Coating Tech

UOB Thailand

Thailand

UOB CRES will apply Nano Coating Tech’s solution to 116 solar panels and 1,745 square metres of building glass at UOB Plaza Bangkok, including the 1st floor of the tower and link bridge, to enhance energy efficiency and reduce maintenance cost.

12

Cero

IMPACT

Thailand

IMPACT will leverage on Cero’s Carbon Event Smart Dashboard to track carbon-related data and view sustainability metrics in real-time, for selected events held at IMPACT Arena.

 

The Cero platform will encourage sustainable behaviours among attendees and aligns with IMPACT’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

13

Cero

Panyapiwat

Institute of

Management

(PIM)

Thailand

PIM wants to gamify sustainability efforts by allowing students to track and reduce their carbon footprint through various activities designed to influence daily behaviours that contribute to carbon reduction.

 

The pilot will target 200 PIM students who will engage in a variety of sustainability activities over the course of 3 months via the Cero platform. Activities include recycling, reducing waste, opting for low-carbon food options, and energy conservation.

14

GEPP Sa-Ard

IMPACT

Thailand

GEPP Sa-Ard will implement a one-stop data-driven waste management system and service to enable efficient waste data collection by location at events held at the IMPACT exhibition centre.

15

Wongphai

Kingdom Organic

Thailand

Thailand

Wongphai will provide four tonnes of biochar for Kingdom Organic to use in their organic farms, in order to improve farm productivity and align with IFOAM standards (especially in their production of kaffir lime, lemongrass, and lime).

 

Estimated crop yield improvement and increase in farm productivity due to biochar application: 1) Kaffir Lime: estimated 10-20% increase; 2) Lemongrass: potential 15-25% increase 3) Lime: estimated 10-20% increase

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SOURCE UOB

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NUH WINS GOLD AT IHF AWARDS 2026 FOR GREEN OPERATING THEATRE PROGRAMME

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 NUH won Gold and received an Honourable Mention for its sustainability efforts at the International Hospital Federation Awards 2026, alongside presentations of its green surgical initiatives, digital health and organisational improvement initiatives at the World Hospital Congress.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National University Hospital (NUH) has won the Gold Award (Low Carbon Healthcare) for its Green Operating Theatre programme at the International Hospital Federation (IHF) Awards 2026. The hospital also received an Honourable Mention (Hospital Sustainability Acceleration) for its system-wide approach to embedding sustainability across healthcare delivery and hospital operations.

The awards were presented at the 49th World Hospital Congress in Seoul, where NUH is also sharing other initiatives in environmental sustainability, digital health and organisational improvement.

Professor Aymeric Lim, Chief Executive Officer of NUH, said: “Healthcare must become more sustainable without compromising patient care. Our teams have shown that simple, practical changes on the ground, from the way we run our operating theatres to how we use resources, can make a real difference. This recognition belongs to the multi-disciplinary teams and partners who turned ideas into everyday practice, and who continue to improve how we care for our patients.”

Advancing low-carbon healthcare by reducing the environmental impact of surgical care

NUH’s Green Operating Theatre (OT) programme began with efforts to reduce the use of high-carbon anaesthetic gases. What started as a targeted decarbonisation initiative has since grown into a hospital-wide programme that brings together clinicians, nurses, operations teams and facilities staff to drive sustainability across surgical practices, resource use, waste management and energy management.

The programme has achieved a 99 per cent reduction in the use of desflurane, a high-carbon anaesthetic gas, and delivered annual energy savings of about 660,000 kWh by optimising operating theatre ventilation during non-operating hours.

Surgical teams redesigned instrument sets used for high-volume knee replacement procedures to better reflect routine requirements, reducing emissions by almost 10,000 kg CO2e annually while also cutting water use and sterilisation workload. Efforts have also been made to reduce unnecessary consumables and expand medical recycling streams.

Collectively, these initiatives have generated valuable insights that NUH has actively shared through inter-cluster platforms and collaborations, helping to inform the adoption of low-carbon practices across Singapore’s public healthcare system.

Embedding sustainability into everyday healthcare delivery

NUH received an Honourable Mention for its organisation-wide approach to embedding sustainability into hospital planning and operations.

Guided by the IHF Sustainability Accelerator Tool, NUH integrated sustainability into leadership oversight, strategic planning and everyday decision-making, strengthening efforts in Appropriate Value-based Care, virtual care, procurement, workforce engagement and environmental stewardship.

This system-wide approach to advancing a sustainable healthcare system has been recognised internationally. In 2025, NUH became the first hospital worldwide to receive the Joint Commission International-Geneva Sustainability Centre’s Healthcare Sustainability Certification. This year, it was the only hospital in Singapore to be accorded the highest 5-Leaf distinction in Newsweek-Statista’s World’s Greenest Hospitals index.

A new model of rehabilitation care

Recognised as one of the top three healthcare innovations selected for the International Hospital Federation’s i-to-i Innovation Hub Awards 2026, the NUH Virtual Rehabilitation Centre (VRC) is helping to extend rehabilitation beyond hospital walls.

Developed as a virtual-first rehabilitation ecosystem, the VRC combines personalised patient education, self-management tools, AI-enabled telerehabilitation, remote monitoring and digital rehabilitation pathways to support patients throughout their recovery journey. By enabling rehabilitation to continue beyond traditional clinic visits, the VRC improves access to care, strengthens patient participation in recovery and allows therapists to focus their attention on patients with more complex rehabilitation needs. The digital home exercise programme, for instance, supports around 2,000 patients and records about 21,000 logins each month, freeing up the equivalent of 66 physiotherapist workdays annually for direct patient care.

The innovation demonstrates how technology can be used not simply to digitise existing services, but to transform how rehabilitation is delivered at scale.

Helping doctors work smarter with electronic medical records

NUH also presented results from its Great Epic Transformation (GET) programme at the 49th World Hospital Congress in Seoul. The hospital-wide programme trained specialist doctors to personalise their Epic electronic medical record (EMR) workflows, using customised note templates, order sets and shortcuts to work more efficiently.

Nine months after training, participating doctors spent 10.2 per cent less time in the EMR each day, equivalent to more than 33 hours saved per doctor annually, while time spent placing orders fell by 26.5 per cent. Twelve of 13 efficiency measures improved across both medical and surgical specialties. Based on annual estimates, the overall efficiency gains are valued at more than S$91 million a year.

The programme is being extended to allied health professionals and pharmacists across NUHS, with a target of reaching more than 2,000 healthcare professionals by the end of 2026.

About the National University Hospital (NUH)­

The National University Hospital (NUH) is Singapore’s university hospital. While the hospital at Kent Ridge first received its patients on 24 June 1985, our legacy started from 1905, the date of the founding of what is today the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. NUH is the principal teaching hospital of the medical school.

Our unique identity as a university hospital is a key attraction for healthcare professionals who aspire to do more than practise tertiary medical care. We offer an environment where research and teaching are an integral part of medicine, and continue to shape medicine and transform care for the community we care for.

We are an academic medical centre with over 1,200 beds, serving more than one million patients a year with over 50 medical, surgical and dental specialties. NUH is the only public and not-for-profit hospital in Singapore to provide trusted care for adults, women and children under one roof, including the only paediatric kidney and liver transplant programme in the country.

The NUH is a key member of the National University Health System (NUHS), one of three public healthcare clusters in Singapore. For more information, visit www.nuh.com.sg

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SOURCE National University Hospital (NUH)

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NEXCOM NGFW platforms secure growing traffic across modern academic networks

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TAIPEI, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NEXCOM, a leading supplier of network appliances, is helping academic institutions strengthen network security as digital learning expands across cloud platforms, AI-powered tools, remote access, and connected campus services.

As educational environments become more distributed, academic networks must support growing traffic and diverse connections while protecting sensitive data and maintaining reliable access to learning resources. NEXCOM’s Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) platforms provide a centralized security layer for inspecting and controlling traffic across campus and remote environments.

Learn more about securing digital learning environments in the joint case study.

Centralized Security for Digital Learning

On campus, NGFW platforms can inspect traffic between academic networks and external resources as students and faculty access learning platforms and web services. For remote users, secure VPN connectivity supports authorized access to internal resources while enabling centralized security policies.

“Every new digital service in education adds value for students and educators, but it also adds traffic, connections, and another layer of security responsibility,” says Allan Chiu, VP of Networking and Communication Solutions at NEXCOM. “The challenge is making sure security keeps pace without slowing down the learning experience. NEXCOM’s NGFW platforms provide the performance and scalability needed to secure modern, highly distributed academic networks.”

Scalable Platforms for Network Security

NEXCOM’s portfolio provides scalable platforms for firewall, edge security, secure remote access, and demanding network security workloads. Key platforms include:

NSA 7160R: A 2U high-performance security platform powered by dual Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, with eight PCIe 5.0 expansion slots and throughput of up to 1.6 Tbps.FTA 5190: A compact 1U edge server powered by Intel Xeon 6 SoC technology, designed for reliable connectivity and security at the network edge.

About NEXCOM

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, NEXCOM is shaping the future of AI-powered networking with its software-defined solutions. Through its Network and Communication Solutions (NCS) unit, NEXCOM delivers cutting-edge platforms for Cybersecurity, OT Security, SD-WAN, SASE, Load Balancing, 5G uCPE, edge AI, and more. NCS specializes in professional design and manufacturing services, enabling reliable and scalable network infrastructures for businesses of all sizes. With a focus on innovation, NEXCOM’s solutions empower customers worldwide to build resilient, high-performance networks tailored to the demands of tomorrow’s connectivity challenges.

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SOURCE NEXCOM International Co., Ltd.

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Forrester’s 2027 B2B Go-To-Market Predictions: AI Agents Will Influence 75% Of B2B Purchase Decisions

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To remain competitive, providers must strengthen customer trust, substantiate value claims, and offer human expertise and guidance

SINGAPORE, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2027 B2B go-to-market predictions, business buyers will increasingly deploy AI agents to handle tasks across the buying process, from supplier discovery and information gathering to contract-renewal analysis. While truly autonomous buying will remain concentrated in high-volume, low-risk, and repeatable purchases, the ubiquity of these agents will require providers to ensure that their systems and sellers can respond with speed, accuracy, and consistency.

Forrester’s B2B Predictions reports, covering topics including B2B go-to-market strategy, business buyers, and content and creative, offer forward-looking insights to help executives and their teams anticipate change, reduce uncertainty, and make confident decisions ahead of market shifts. Key highlights from the 2027 B2B go-to-market predictions include:

Buyers will double their human interactions to validate AI-generated recommendations. As AI becomes the primary interface for researching products and providers, buyers will encounter more AI-generated recommendations, synthetic content, automated outreach, and agent-mediated interactions. Since AI cannot fully judge service provider fit, feasibility, trust, or accountability, buyers will require conversations with provider teams and trusted third parties including analysts, customer references, and partners to confirm and validate buying decisions.Two-thirds of providers will lose deals because buyers cannot verify claims. Buyers already use AI-assisted search and analysis tools to gather information about products and vendors, synthesize provider claims, and fact check. As the reliance on these capabilities continue to advance, go-to-market teams will need to act fast to restructure content discovery for AI tools, including providing credible and consistent proof points that AI tools can index and validate.Most CMOs will cut programs or accept reduced capacity after overestimating AI gains. As pressure intensifies to reduce personnel costs with AI, marketing leaders will eliminate as many as 25% of roles in anticipation of productivity gains that fail to meet expectations. As a result, they will have to choose between cutting program budgets to restore capacity through rehiring, contractors, or agency support or accept reduced execution with a smaller team. In either case, lower campaign investment, weaker execution, or both will reduce marketing’s overall value contribution.

“In 2027, the defining challenge for B2B go-to-market leaders will be to make deliberate choices about what to automate and where human judgment still matters,” said Sharyn Leaver, chief research officer at Forrester. “As AI becomes ubiquitous across the buying process, B2B leaders that pair AI-driven speed and convenience with transparency, control, and trust will extract the most value from AI.”

Resources:

Download Forrester’s 2027 Predictions guide for B2B go-to-market.Register for Forrester’s webinar exploring the key trends reshaping B2B go-to-market strategies in 2027.Learn how to turn these predictions into action through Forrester’s global B2B events and research programs.

About Forrester
Forrester (Nasdaq: FORR) is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. We empower leaders in technology, customer experience, digital, marketing, revenue, and product functions to make confident decisions in an AI-driven world and accelerate growth through customer obsession. Our unique research and continuous guidance model helps executives and their teams achieve their initiatives and outcomes faster and with confidence. To learn more, visit Forrester.com.

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SOURCE Forrester

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