
Standard Chartered and Alibaba Group Sign Strategic Technology and Growth Partnership
Eddie Wu, CEO of Alibaba Group, added: 'From education to healthcare and scientific research, AI has already shown its potential to drive transformational change. We are thrilled to partner with Standard Chartered, a global leader in financial services, to shape the transformation in the financial sector. Through this strategic alliance, we will combine Alibaba's technological expertise with Standard Chartered's deep industry knowledge to unlock new possibilities.'
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Roya News
2 days ago
- Roya News
Taiwan to seek lower tariff after Trump's 'temporary' 20% levy
Taiwan vowed on Friday to seek a lower tariff after Donald Trump imposed a "temporary" 20 percent levy on its shipments to the United States as part of his trade war. The US president's announcement was part of a sweep of measures -- reaching 41 percent -- against dozens of global partners as they scrambled for deals with Washington to avert the painful tolls. The figure is down from the 32 percent toll imposed in his April 2 "Liberation Day", since when Taipei and Washington have held four rounds of face-to-face talks and multiple video conferences to resolve the issue. On Friday Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Facebook they were still working to strike an agreement "The US has announced a temporary 20 percent tariff for Taiwan, with the possibility of further reductions should an agreement be reached," he wrote. "The government will continue to strive for a reasonable tariff rate and complete the final stages of the tariff negotiations." While Trump had set Friday as the deadline for agreements to be made, he delayed it until the end of next week. No timeline was given for Taiwan, which could mean the island was caught in the middle of US-China trade negotiations, said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis. Washington and Beijing held two days of talks this week aimed at reaching a deal to extend a truce in their trade war and prevent the reimposition of sky-high tariffs on August 12. "The conditions on Taiwan might be relevant for China, imagine export controls," Garcia-Herrero told AFP. After US tech giant Nvidia announced it will resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China, Garcia-Herrero said "there could be other stuff that China needs from Taiwan that the US can offer". 'This is the ceiling' Taiwan is a global powerhouse in chip manufacturing, with more than half the world's semiconductors and nearly all of the high-end ones made there. The owner of a Taiwanese machinery exporter to the United States said he was worried that lower tariff rates on Japan and South Korea -- 15 percent -- would advantage his competitors there. He told AFP the recent appreciation in the Taiwan dollar against the greenback had also "put a lot of pressure on us, creating a double whammy". The uncertainty over tariffs was hurting US sales, said textile producer Eddie Wang, with clients "feeling overwhelmed" and reluctant to place orders. Soaring demand for AI-related technology has fuelled Taiwan's trade surplus with the United States -- and put it in Trump's crosshairs. Around 60 percent of Taiwan's exports to the United States are information and communications technology, which includes chips. In a bid to avoid the tariffs, Taipei has pledged to increase investment in the United States, buy ore of its energy and increase its own defence spending. Economist Sun Ming-te said the 20 percent levy was "probably the best outcome Taiwan can achieve with the US under the current conditions."


Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Al Bawaba
Standard Chartered and Alibaba Group Sign Strategic Technology and Growth Partnership
Standard Chartered ('the Bank') and Alibaba Group Holding Limited ('Alibaba' or 'Alibaba Group') have entered into a strategic partnership, utilising Alibaba Cloud's AI technologies to accelerate the pace at which the financial services sector embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI).According to the Memorandum of Understanding, Standard Chartered will work with Alibaba Cloud as its strategic partner for AI technologies to enhance operational efficiency and elevate the customer experience. Leveraging Alibaba Cloud's intelligent solutions and AI technologies, the collaboration aims to help the Bank elevate its competitive edge. This includes developing AI-powered customer service and sales intelligence to raise the bar on customer engagement, automating AI-driven risk management and compliance, and upskilling its talents through AI workshops and partnership will also support Alibaba Group's strategic development globally, with Standard Chartered providing a comprehensive range of banking services that is tailored to meet Alibaba Group's business needs, from financial support, supply chain financing support, cross border fund management solutions, to deepening the collaboration in financial market. Both parties will also actively enhance cooperation in the areas of sustainable development and sustainable Winters, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered, said: 'We are investing heavily in cutting-edge technologies like AI, which are transforming our own business model and reshaping the future of finance. I am excited to build on our existing relationship with Alibaba Group – a global leader in AI and other areas including e-commerce and retail – and advance our shared commitment to transformative innovation. By combining Alibaba Group's technological prowess with our financial expertise, we look to harness the full potential of AI technologies to advance on our innovation agenda while also creating long-term value for our clients, colleagues, and communities.' Eddie Wu, CEO of Alibaba Group, added: 'From education to healthcare and scientific research, AI has already shown its potential to drive transformational change. We are thrilled to partner with Standard Chartered, a global leader in financial services, to shape the transformation in the financial sector. Through this strategic alliance, we will combine Alibaba's technological expertise with Standard Chartered's deep industry knowledge to unlock new possibilities.'

Al Bawaba
3 days ago
- Al Bawaba
Sophos Launches New Partner Program to Drive Enhanced Growth, Profitability and Market Advantage for Partners
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today launched a new Sophos Partner Program, unlocking multiple opportunities for partners to accelerate growth, deliver industry-leading cybersecurity solutions and stand out in an increasingly competitive market. The new program brings together Sophos' and Secureworks' global partners into one integrated, high-performance ecosystem and builds on Sophos' award-winning program that is trusted by more than 25,000 partners globally. "The new Sophos Partner Program is designed to reflect the way partners want to build and scale their business today,' said Chris Bell, Senior Vice President of Global Channel, Alliances and Corporate Development. 'It offers a flexible and profitable path to growth, whether partners are expanding their managed services, launching cybersecurity advisory offerings or scaling existing practices. With this program, we're doubling down on our commitment to deliver the tools, incentives and support that help our partners lead in a rapidly evolving cybersecurity market.' This launch marks a significant expansion in the services and support available to partners. By combining the strengths of Sophos and Secureworks, the new program makes it easier for partners to deliver next-generation security outcomes faster, more profitably and at from Canalys shows that for every $1 spent on cybersecurity products, customers invest an additional $2 on services delivered by partners – highlighting the growing demand for partner-led services and the opportunity to generate new revenue streams through high-value expertise and support. With complex threats on the rise and vendor consolidation becoming more common, partners are more essential than ever in helping customers navigate cybersecurity decisions. With the new Sophos Partner Program, partners can develop programs and services that align with their unique business models and go-to-market strategies – whether they are a managed services provider, reseller, cyber insurance partner, systems integrator or another partner in the ecosystem. The new Sophos Partner Program helps partners to build their cybersecurity business, grow their revenue and retain their customers through: • A unified portfolio for market advantage: Following Sophos' acquisition of Secureworks, the new program unifies two world-class partner ecosystems into a single, streamlined platform – unlocking seamless selling across the full portfolio. Partners benefit from expanded opportunities to boost profitability and drive revenue, with access to a comprehensive portfolio spanning industry-leading endpoint, network, email, cloud security, XDR/MDR, Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) and next-gen SIEM – all centrally managed through the Sophos Central platform and complemented by premier advisory and consulting services. • A future-focused growth framework: Built for scale and profitability, empowering partners to grow faster and more efficiently through revenue multipliers, volume discounts and flexible billing. Partners gain access to high-value incentives, integrated sales and marketing resources, and advanced enablement through Sophos Academy's new MDR Guided Onboarding and sales quick-start certifications. • Enhanced customer and partner success: Access to new resources designed to help partners deepen customer relationships, accelerate solution adoption and improve retention, while delivering superior cybersecurity outcomes for their customers. The program also provides expanded access to Partner Care, Renewal, and Customer Success teams, as well as free certification training for the entire partner community. • Simplified, faster ways to win business: Partners gain access to additional tools that make it easy to sell and grow their business, including an innovative AI Sales Assistant that provides real-time guidance on portal navigation, resource location and sales insights. The partner portal experience is further enhanced with improved guided quoting, device and license management, opportunity management, and compliance dashboards. 'Sophos' new Partner Program is designed to incentivize partners to grow,' continues Bell. 'It offers partners everything they need to succeed, drive bottom-line revenue, fuel excellence for mutual customers and stand out in a crowded, competitive market. It's a way to continue to deliver on our promise to partners and build the best cybersecurity products, services and processes with our partners in mind.' What Sophos Partners Are Saying 'Sophos' acquisition of Secureworks and the ability to sell across both legacy portfolios is a significant opportunity for our business. We're excited to be able to offer next-generation SIEM through a partner we trust. This will enable us to differentiate and win more deals on day one, especially with healthcare and manufacturing customers. The ability to offer cybersecurity services provided through Secureworks will also save us significant time and energy that would have gone into expanding our in-house services. Coupled with portal changes that accelerate quoting and deliver in-depth snapshots of customer information, the new program will be a critical enabler for our sales and operations teams to meet our aggressive growth goals.' - Dave Peck, President and CEO at Trebron IT and Cybersecurity "As a longtime Sophos partner, the company's security solutions continue to be foundational to how we protect our customers. Sophos has consistently demonstrated that they are committed to helping us grow, which shows in its new Partner Program. The combined Sophos and Secureworks portfolios will further strengthen our defenses, uncover new business opportunities and help us stand out in the market. We're also encouraged by continued innovation in Sophos Central – especially enhancements like the AI Sales Assistant and the updated portal, which simplify self-service and accelerate how Softchoice and our customers do business.' - Andrew Campbell, Director of Security Category at Softchoice