Latest news with #AFS
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Couple's plan now reality
A Timaru couple's generosity has seen Hato Hone St John in Timaru take delivery of a brand new, fully kitted-out ambulance. Friends and family members gathered at the St John ambulance station on Wai-iti Rd on Friday to witness Timaru man Gordon Prowse hand over the keys to the new vehicle on behalf of himself and his late wife Robin. The donation had links to Mr Prowse's decades of involvement with the AFS Intercultural Learning Organisation, which began as the American Ambulance Field Service, a volunteer ambulance corps that rescued wounded soldiers during both World War 1 and World War 2. Mr Prowse spoke to the gathering, saying the AFS had saved many lives of wounded soldiers. "St John personnel here are similarly saving lives and rescuing victims, and this will hopefully ease the fundraising that dominates so many health services in New Zealand." He said the couple had supported their three children and a number of other charities over the years, but a combination of living thriftily, paying into insurance policies and making good investments meant he was now in a position to put the couple's long-held plan into action. Both Mr and Mrs Prowse's names appear on Ambulance 933. St John area watch operations manager Shelly Flintoff said the new ambulance would enable paramedics and first responders to deliver lifesaving care faster and more effectively than ever before, ensuring the right care reached the right place at the right time. "When I first started with St John 30-plus years ago, my first ambulance was a dodgy old Bedford, with basic equipment, a back-breaking stretcher, and a heavy defibrillator. "Today, the technology is phenomenal, but a state-of-the-art vehicle is more than steel and wheels and sirens, it is a symbol of your belief in our community. "This is an incredible legacy to leave. On behalf of every life that will be touched, saved and uplifted, thank you for your generosity. You are making a real and lasting difference." Mr and Mrs Prowse came to Timaru in 1972 and Mr Prowse taught for 30 years at Timaru Boys' High School, returning as a long-term reliever after officially retiring. He also taught at Opihi College and Timaru Girls' High School. Mrs Prowse also trained as a teacher, but her 26-year career in Timaru was as an administrator, working in the office at Boys' High and as secretary to the board of trustees for both Timaru Boys' and Timaru Girls' High Schools. Finding himself meeting mostly other teachers, Mr Prowse became involved with AFS and learning about the origins of the organisation planted the seed of the ambulance donation. "Robin and I both thought it was a good idea, and five or so years ago, before Covid-19, we decided that instead of giving the usual money to the usual charities, we'd pool it ... we wanted it to be local, and we picked St John. "I went along to a men's club meeting, and Gordon Handy [St John governor] was speaking about the organisation, so I went up to him and said I'd like to buy an ambulance." Ambulance 933 will spend two years based in Timaru and then be circulated around other areas.
Finextra
02-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Mawarid Finance and AFS establish UAE fintech hub
Mawarid Finance and AFS have launched a new fintech enablement hub in the UAE. The Mawarid AFS fintech hub is designed to empower startups and foster digital innovation in financial services. 0 This collaboration combines global technology leadership, BIN sponsorship, and advanced processing capabilities into one integrated framework. The initiative simplifies how fintechs bring card programs to market by merging scheme connectivity, issuing, processing, and enablement tools onto a single, frictionless platform. The partnership leverages Mastercard Product Express, a platform designed for fintechs, enabling the innovation necessary to meet their customer needs, and helping reduce their time to market by providing them with the tools, resources and partners required to launch and scale. The Product Express platform allows fintechs to easily select the product that best meets their needs, choose plan-certified partners ready to implement, e.g. with live BINs and pre-approved card designs, and the ability to track progress in full transparency across all steps to be completed by all parties. This allows them to drastically reduce the time to market with the platform providing a way for fintechs to launch card programs in as fast as 15 days. Rashid Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer of Mawarid Finance, said, 'This collaboration places Mawarid Finance at the core of a best-in-class fintech enablement model in the UAE. As BIN sponsor, we are proud to provide the regulatory and operational foundation that allows fintechs to move from concept to card issuance with speed, security, and full compliance. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting national innovation goals by empowering new business models and creating real pathways for growth, scale, and market impact.' Samer Soliman, Chief Executive Officer of AFS, remarked that: ''By leveraging our deep technological expertise, AFS delivers a unified, frictionless platform that dramatically accelerates time-to-market for card programs. This empowers the next wave of digital-first companies to build, launch, and scale their solutions with optimal agility and confidence'. This collaboration marks a major step toward advancing digital enablement in the UAE, offering fintechs a clear, streamlined path to build and scale card products all within a single, unified experience. This Mawarid AFS fintech hub reflects growing investment in regional fintech capabilities and positions the UAE as a digital finance leader.
Biz Bahrain
01-07-2025
- Business
- Biz Bahrain
Mawarid Finance and AFS Launch UAE Fintech Enablement Hub
In a pioneering move set to reshape fintech innovation in the UAE, Mawarid Finance and Arab Financial Services (AFS) today signed a strategic agreement to launch an integrated Fintech Enablement Hub, a unified platform designed to empower fintechs with seamless access to regulated infrastructure and next-generation digital capabilities. This collaboration combines global technology leadership, BIN sponsorship, and advanced processing capabilities into one integrated framework. The initiative simplifies how fintechs bring card programs to market by merging scheme connectivity, issuing, processing, and enablement tools onto a single, frictionless platform. The partnership leverages Mastercard Product Express, a platform designed for fintechs, enabling the innovation necessary to meet their customer needs, and helping reduce their time to market by providing them with the tools, resources and partners required to launch and scale. The Product Express platform allows fintechs to easily select the product that best meets their needs, choose plan-certified partners ready to implement, e.g. with live BINs and pre-approved card designs, and the ability to track progress in full transparency across all steps to be completed by all parties. This allows them to drastically reduce the time to market with the platform providing a way for fintechs to launch card programs in as fast as 15 days. Rashid Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer of Mawarid Finance, said, 'This collaboration places Mawarid Finance at the core of a best-in-class fintech enablement model in the UAE. As BIN sponsor, we are proud to provide the regulatory and operational foundation that allows fintechs to move from concept to card issuance with speed, security, and full compliance. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting national innovation goals by empowering new business models and creating real pathways for growth, scale, and market impact.' Samer Soliman, Chief Executive Officer of AFS, remarked that: ''By leveraging our deep technological expertise, AFS delivers a unified, frictionless platform that dramatically accelerates time-to-market for card programs. This empowers the next wave of digital-first companies to build, launch, and scale their solutions with optimal agility and confidence'. This collaboration marks a major step toward advancing digital enablement in the UAE, offering fintechs a clear, streamlined path to build and scale card products all within a single, unified experience.
Bahrain This Week
30-06-2025
- Business
- Bahrain This Week
Mawarid Finance and AFS Launch UAE Fintech Enablement Hub
In a pioneering move set to reshape fintech innovation in the UAE, Mawarid Finance and Arab Financial Services (AFS) today signed a strategic agreement to launch an integrated Fintech Enablement Hub, a unified platform designed to empower fintechs with seamless access to regulated infrastructure and next-generation digital capabilities. This collaboration combines global technology leadership, BIN sponsorship, and advanced processing capabilities into one integrated framework. The initiative simplifies how fintechs bring card programs to market by merging scheme connectivity, issuing, processing, and enablement tools onto a single, frictionless platform. The partnership leverages Mastercard Product Express, a platform designed for fintechs, enabling the innovation necessary to meet their customer needs, and helping reduce their time to market by providing them with the tools, resources and partners required to launch and scale. The Product Express platform allows fintechs to easily select the product that best meets their needs, choose plan-certified partners ready to implement, e.g. with live BINs and pre-approved card designs, and the ability to track progress in full transparency across all steps to be completed by all parties. This allows them to drastically reduce the time to market with the platform providing a way for fintechs to launch card programs in as fast as 15 days. Rashid Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer of Mawarid Finance, said, 'This collaboration places Mawarid Finance at the core of a best-in-class fintech enablement model in the UAE. As BIN sponsor, we are proud to provide the regulatory and operational foundation that allows fintechs to move from concept to card issuance with speed, security, and full compliance. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting national innovation goals by empowering new business models and creating real pathways for growth, scale, and market impact.' Samer Soliman, Chief Executive Officer of AFS, remarked that: ''By leveraging our deep technological expertise, AFS delivers a unified, frictionless platform that dramatically accelerates time-to-market for card programs. This empowers the next wave of digital-first companies to build, launch, and scale their solutions with optimal agility and confidence'. This collaboration marks a major step toward advancing digital enablement in the UAE, offering fintechs a clear, streamlined path to build and scale card products all within a single, unified experience.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
For the record: Name change plaint reaches Lokayukta
Karnataka Lokayukta Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike land khata certificate I waited over two years; officials did nothing despite verbal assurances, forcing me to approach the Lokayukta for action –Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar A complaint has been registered withagainst the then(BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath for dereliction of duty. The Lokayukta registered the complaint against the BBMP Commissioner on complaint was filed by Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, a resident of Sobha Arena Apartment in Judicial Layout, Thalaghattapura. He alleged that despite purchasing a flat in VS Cozy Apartment and executing the sale deed on August 29, 2009, the land records still reflect the name of the previous landowner. The sale deed granted him ownership of 345 sq ft, but even after 15 years, his name has not been entered in the land to Dhananjaya, he applied for theand khata extract from BBMP on March 16, 2023. The documents he received did not reflect his following day, on March 17, 2023, he submitted a complaint to the BBMP Commissioner, requesting a probe and corrective action. However, he claimed no action was taken despite repeated follow-ups.'I have waited for over two years, visiting the BBMP head office multiple times,' said Dhananjaya. 'The officials kept making verbal assurances but did nothing. This forced me to approach the Lokayukta.'In his formal complaint, Dhananjaya alleged not just negligence but also corruption. He argued that the failure to update the land khata to reflect individual flat owners' names deprived them of their legal land rights. Dhananjaya, who is also the Sanchalak of the Karnataka Home Buyers' Forum, said the issue is widespread and reflects systemic apathy towards apartment the need to include flat owners' names in land records, Naval veteran Commander Surendra said the BBMP must take proactive measures. 'Authorities have a duty to update records in accordance with ownership,' he said. 'This is not merely a procedural formality it directly impacts legal rights.'Adding a broader perspective to the issue, Ameya Usgaonkar, another apartment owner, highlighted flaws in the registration process. He explained that ownership typically begins with the sale of the undivided interest (UDI) in the project land. This is recorded through the registration of the Agreement for Sale (AFS), which is the first legal step and includes project details, timelines, and builder commitments.'The sale deed comes later and confirms the apartment transfer,' he said. 'If the AFS isn't registered, there's no legal provision under the Registration Act to reflect UDI in the final sale deed.'He pointed out that many builders bypass the AFS registration, retaining ownership of the land in official records. 'This loophole enables builders to maintain control and delays proper transfer of ownership to buyers,' he said. 'I believe the BBMP should coordinate with the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) to enforce AFS checks before granting Occupancy Certificates (OCs). If AFS isn't in place, subsequent apartment sales should not be permitted.'The Lokayukta is expected to investigate the matter and determine whether administrative failure or deliberate oversight is at play. For now, the complaint reflects growing frustration among Bengaluru's apartment owners who feel stranded in legal limbo despite following due process.
