Most entrepreneurs know that being too busy and stressed at work may endanger their health in several ways. However, only a few know that they can make one change that will boost their energy, increase their mental capacity and strengthen their defense against illness. It may even help them get a sexier figure. That change is this: switching to a healthier diet in the workplace.

They spend at least eight hours of their day most of the week in the office. When they develop bad eating habits in the course of their work, they can gain extra pounds and make themselves vulnerable to certain diseases – they may even become less productive and that could affect their jobs.

According to nutritionist Cecille Esperanza of Food Magazine, sticking to a health diet amid all the meetings and deadlines can seem impossible. She says however that it’s not too late to switch to a healthy workplace diet — as long as everyone commit to their goal of staying healthy at work. Being healthy at jobs will surely be a key to success as well.

"There are many ways to have a healthy diet even if you’re busy at work. All you have to do is to exert extra effort in minding what and how much you eat," Esperanza says.

So here are some tips any entrepreneur can follow to make their workplace diet healthier:

• Eat a variety of foods. It's always advisable to have adequate servings of meat, vegetables and fruits, and grains in every meal to meet the daily nutritional requirements.
  
  If you have time to prepare your food at home, then pack your own lunch. This not only ensures that you’ll have something healthy and delicious for lunch but will also help you get less tempted to eat unhealthy foods around.
  
  But if you have to buy your food from your company’s cafeteria or a fast food restaurant, make sure that your meal is balanced and healthy.


• Snack smart. Ever noticed how, after you work on a few office tasks, especially difficult ones, you feel hungry? That’s because you are already using up mental and physical resources and you need to replenish them. Snacking is the obvious solution to your hunger but you have to choose healthy food.
  
  Healthy snacks not only provide the energy to help you finish your tasks, but will also give you vital nutrients and minerals to boost your immune system and brainpower. Healthy snacks include sandwiches, fruits, crackers and pasta.
  
  "Cereal drinks and other sources of complex carbohydrates like pasta and crackers are good for snacking because they fill you up and provide you with energy," Esperanza shares.


• Eat on time. According to Esperanza, one of the top unhealthy eating habits of a person at work is failing to eat on time. Some skip breakfast so as not to be late for work while others don't eat lunch just to finish their work early.
  
  If you need a quick, energizing and healthy drink, it’s very easy and convenient to choose cereal milk drinks. It's not intended as a meal replacement but it can help you satisfy your hunger in-between your main meals.


• Concentrate on your food. Health experts have found out that eating in front of your computer or doing something else while eating makes the food less satisfying. Distractions during your lunchtime only increase your food intake especially when you snack later in the afternoon.
  
  To prevent overeating, eat in the cafeteria or in the pantry. Being away from your office table gives you a chance to eat properly and allows you to relax and give your mind and body a rest.


• Eat only when you have to. Don't leave your snack lying on your desk so as to avoid unconsciously reaching out for it while you’re focused on your work. Keep your snack out of your sight by putting it in a cabinet or in the communal office refrigerator.
  
  Avoid going to vending machines or snack bars especially if you're not really hungry. Not only do you risk putting on excess calories if you go for such snacks, you also usually get sugary, fatty and unhealthy foods from vending machines or snack bars.


• Satisfy your cravings. Craving for some chocolate or chips? Then go grab some—but only in moderation. Don't let yourself overeat foods that are too sweet, too salty, or too fatty.
  
  Esperanza explains, "If you always stop yourself from eating your favorite foods like cakes or ice creams, the tendency is you'll overeat other kinds of food. So if you want to have some sweets, just bear in mind to only have them in healthy servings. After all, you deserve a treat for being a hard worker."

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If you need cash badly this holiday season from some banks, you don't have to worry much anymore because according to the report of Louella D. Desiderio, BusinessWorld, selected branches will be open to serve their clients nationwide.

The banks have also assured their clients that automated teller machines (ATMs) would remain operational during the holidays.

Under Presidential Proclamation No. 1699 signed by President Gloria M. Arroyo, 24 and 31 December are special nonworking days, while 25 and 30 December are regular holidays.

January 1 or New Year’s Day has been declared a regular holiday under Proclamation 1841.

Sy-led Banco de Oro Unibank, Inc., the country’s largest, said in an advisory on Tuesday all its branches would be open on Thursday.

"Mall-based branches will be open until 3 p.m. while all other branches are open until 1 p.m.," the bank said.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank), the country’s second largest, said in a statement posted on its website that select branches will be open on 24, 26, 27, 30, 31 December and 1 and 2 January.

"In addition to the branches, Metrobank ATMs nationwide will be available for easy access to cash and for other banking transactions such as bills payment and fund transfer.

"Metrophone banking and Metrobankdirect internet banking will also be accessible for various banking transactions," the bank said.

Philippine Savings Bank, the thrift banking arm of the Metrobank Group, said in a statement that all its 306 ATMs will be fully operational for the needs of its clients during the holidays.

"Our entire ATM network, including 133 offsite ATMs, will be online 24/7 during the Yuletide season.

"A dedicated team of PSBank personnel will ensure the availability of cash in these ATMs," Jose Vicente Alde, PSBank branch banking group senior vice president, was quoted as saying in the statement.

China Banking Corp. (China Bank), another Sy-led bank, said in a separate statement that select branches will be open on the 24th, 30th and 31st of the month.

China Bank said some of the branches open during the holidays may process all the usual banking transactions, while the some will be limited to deposit or withdrawal transactions only.

"The bank’s mall branches and other branches regularly open on Saturdays and Sundays will have their usual banking schedule on 26 December 2009 and 2 January 2010, and on 27 December 2009 and 3 January 2010," the bank said.

The bank said its ATMs, phone banking and mobile and internet banking facilities will also be available during the holidays.

Branches of Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands and its thrift banking subsidiary, BPI Family Savings Bank, however, will not be open during the declared public holidays. BPI is the country’s third largest.

"Bank of the Philippine Islands and BPI Family Savings Bank branches will be open to the public and doing business as usual on regular working days, Mondays thru Fridays, from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., except on declared holidays such as December 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and on January 1st," the bank said in an email.

Its ATMs, mobile banking facility and expressonline are available 24/7 as alternative channels of transaction, the bank added.

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It seems that the growth of value of existing clients, the improvement of efficiency and the acquisition of new clients are really the key commercial drivers of Asian-based contact centers.

These are the findings, among others, of the first online benchmarking survey for the contact center industry spearheaded by Data-craft, the leading independent IT services and solutions company in the Asia-Pacific.

The 2009 survey of more than 500 companies around the world, including Asia, studied current industry benchmarks such as staffing and training, performance metrics, technology usage, budgets and development plans.

It also focused on three integral aspects of a call center: the technical, the operational, and the commercial.

Whereas Datacraft's 2008 survey was produced in print format, the online format was utilized for the 2009 survey in response to participants’ remarks that their main reason for participating in the study was to compare their performance to peer group businesses; another motive was to identify opportunities for cost reduction and performance improvement.

"The survey gives you a flavor of how the other contact centers look at things," said Nagi Kasinadhuni, general manager for converged communications and customer interactive solutions of Datacraft Asia Pte. Ltd.

"It can also give you a measure of how your organization compares to others. All of the material is available online. The survey was done for the people who own contact centers or give business to them, and not conducted by a vendor for another vendor. The focus is on technology, operations, and agent training," Kasinadhuni said.

Kasinadhuni added: "The survey also shows how Asia looks at call centers. We run it as a business and thus have a lot of best practices because we aim to satisfy our clients."

To start, Asian call centers have more agents who are full-time employees while their Western counterparts tend to utilize part-time employees. The ratio also has one supervisor looking after 11 agents.

Salaries in Asian-based sites make up 54.4 percent of overall operational cost, in comparison to Australia and New Zealand’s 69.0 percent.

However, they also spend a lot more: two percent of overall operational cost on motivational and social events to keep their current staff engaged.

Another 3.3 percent of the overall budget is then used to train agents and staff. Classroom method is still regarded as the most effective method of training, with mentorship as second.

Call center managers also have a realistic expectation of their employees' tenure. "Our respondents gave 29 months as their answer when we asked them their expected length of time for an agent to stay within their company after the recruitment," Kasinadhuni said.

"Europe is about half a year behind. Contact centers in Asia look at the optimum period that they want the agent to be in their operation; their optimum and actual gap is not high. The current attrition rate of 23 percent is acceptable to most contact centers and have already factored in the cost," Kasinadhuni said.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Dimension Data, Datacraft is headquartered in Singapore, and operates in more than 50 major offices and has over 1,450 employees across the Asia-Pacific market.

The company helps clients plan, build, support, manage, improve, and innovate their IT infrastructure.

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine.

Market figures at this time showed that mortgage interest rates in the U.S. are at their 50-year low. However, several factors indicate that the longest and steepest recession since World War II may be over. And though the recovery likely will be long and difficult, current developments and trends seem to show that there are a lot to be thankful for as the holidays approach.

For instance, Congress has already extended the tax credit for homebuyers until 30 April 2010 as long as they have a written and binding contract by that date and expanded the coverage to include homeowners who wish to ‘move on’ after 5 years of living in their current property.

The existing policy also allows first-time buyers, or those who have not owned in the last three years, to receive up to US$ 8,000 in tax credits, while homeowners who have lived in a current home consecutively for 5 of the past 8 years can receive up to a US$ 6,500 tax credit. The income limits were, likewise, increase: US$ 125,000 for singles, US$ 225,000 for married couples with a US$ 20,000 phase-out of the credit for both.

So isn’t it time to buy a home? It certainly seems that way. The housing picture may be complex — and sometimes frightening. House prices in the U.S. have plunged 30 percent, on average, from their 2006 peak. But from 2000 to 2006, average prices nearly doubled. And a 40 percent increase is definitely a healthy increase — even in a robust economy.

There is no need to wait, especially for those buying out of necessity — because they are moving to a new area and need to sell their old house and buy a new one. Even for those who are planning to buy a new house, interests on subprime loans are becoming more affordable.

To learn more if the prices may fluctuate further or if the credit policy can help sustain the recent uptick in housing sales, try to visit 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits. They offer informative articles to supplement any housing research and they even offer home search on the site. Check them out and you will lose nothing and gain useful insights.

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The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the British government and the UK Border Agency International Group signed recently a memorandum of understanding for a bank certificate verification system.

Upon the endorsement from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the UK Border Agency has been working with the BAP on the development of a system in an effort to curb UK visa fraud.

Ambassador Stephen Lillie called it a landmark cooperation to continue the UK Government's wider fight against visa fraud and forgery in the Philippine.

Banking documentation fraud forms 21 percent of all fraud encountered with Philippine applications. This covers false documentation as well as altered or unofficially issued certificates.

The agreement will put in place an electronic verification system that will establish a faster, more efficient and more accurate checking of bank certifications.

“The new system will enable us to detect even more quickly those who seek to cheat our system by providing false banking documents,” Ed Mackie, regional manager for NE Asia and Australasia of the UK Border Agency. The UK Border Agency is the government arm of the United Kingdom responsible for securing its borders and controlling migration. It is responsible for enforcing immigration and customs regulations and considers applications for permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom, citizenship and asylum.

The agency has been intercepting increasing numbers of fraudulent applications, from 584 in 2007 to 657 in 2008, and 575 so far this year.

All fraudulent applications are referred to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) — Interpol Division. The UK Border Agency has made over 170 such referrals to date.

Representing the BAP in the signing activity were BAP Operations Committee chairman and Philippine Veterans Bank president and chief executive officer Ricardo Balbido Jr., and BAP executive director Leonilo Coronel.

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Albay province takes center stage again in the climate change adaptation initiative, having been recently chosen by an international research group as a model for the study of the impact and mitigating measures against the menace of global warming.

The Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) has chosen Albay province to pioneer a climate change simulation research and study, which it will conduct jointly with the College of Forestry and Natural Resources of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

Prof. Juan Pulhin of the Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance of the UP College of Forestry and Natural Resources, a Nobel Peace Prize awardee in the field of climate change, broke the news of the APN study in a recent letter to Albay Governor Joey S. Salceda.

Pulhin said the study, "Capacity Development on Integration of Science and Local Knowledge for Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability Assessments", has been approved by APN and will be started December this year. UPLB Foundation and APN have already signed the project agreement.

The study, Pulhin said, will last for a year and will be undertaken in partnership with professor Richard Warrick of the University of the Sunshine Coast of Australia — another Nobel Peace Prize awardee — who has designed the climate simulation model or 'SimCLIM.' The model will be customized for Albay where it will be used in impact and vulnerability assessments and in adaptation planning.

Climate change adaptation was a campaign initiated by Salceda in his province. He started it when he hosted the 1st National Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in 2008 in Legazpi City, which was followed recently by the 2nd National Conference on Climate Change Adaptation or NCCCA+2 held at the Diamond Hotel in Manila only last month.

Salceda’s initiative placed Albay among those at the forefront of the campaign to teach the people to effectively adapt to the effects of sudden changes in climate as manifested by the increasing frequency and strength in weather disturbances that visit the country.

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The bicameral congressional committee has picked duribng the first week of December 2009 the Senate version proposing to reduce the burdensome five-percent premium tax on life insurance policies to just two. It will now be sent to Malacañang for signing into law.

The Senate version, authored by Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, likewise proposes the reduction of the documentary stamp tax (DST) on life insurance policies pegged at 0.25 percent of premium paid to a fixed one-time rate ranging from zero to a maximum PhP 100 per policy.

Not adopted was the bill from the House of Representatives seeking to abolish the five-percent premium tax altogether.

As of 2007, the per capita expenditure on life insurance was a measly PhP 859.20, covering only 13.63 percent of the entire Philippine population.

Majority of the insurance issued are group insurance, which gives lower terms rather than the individual policies. It is likewise estimated that only three to four percent of the country’s population have individual policies.

“Part of the reason for the low penetration rate is the five-percent premium tax plus the DST,” Victor Quisumbing, president of the Philippine Life Insurance Association (PLIA), said. He is also the president and chief executive
officer of the Great Pacific Life Assurance Co. (Grepalife).

PLIA and the Insurance Commission (IC) have been working to bring the penetration level to 20 percent of the country’s population since the start of the century. But the refusal to lower if not remove the premium tax, and other external factors like the poor investment climate, global credit disaster and natural disasters, have made insurance unreachable to majority of the population.

Majority of the Asean nations have penetration levels at the high double digits while Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong have penetration levels in the 90-percent vicinity. In fact, Japan reports that it is common for their citizens to have two or more policies.

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Cool, hip and tech-savvy grandparents are slowly inching their way toward their grandchildren's Internet lifestyles.

And with Bayan Telecommunications pioneering the "Teach Lola" campaign, more lolos and lolas have opened their minds to the fastest-growing technology in the modern age. "Teach Lola is an advocacy that’s geared towards encouraging the younger generation to take the first step to bridge the digital divide by teaching their grandparents how to get connected to the world through the World Wide Web — very much connected to our thrust of letting the Filipino voice be heard," says John Rojo, Bayan’s VP for Corporate and Communications. As it aims to educate, the advocacy has created manuals available on www.teachlola.comthat aim to tutor our elderly on the basics of e-mailing and Facebooking.

Now, older Filipinos can send e-mail to their loved ones who are far away, upload and share videos on YouTube or even connect with them through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. But Rojo believes that grandchildren should also teach their grandparents how to take precautions against possible risks within the Internet, as they can be seriously dangerous for the uninformed user.

That's why Bayan has included a few safety tips for grandparents and grandchildren who are in the middle of learning and teaching how to use the Internet.

• Do not open attachments (even if they’re from your grandkids!). The infamous Filipino-made 'I Love You' computer virus that caused some US$ 10 billion in losses in as many as 20 countries was sent as an e-mail attachment, which when opened could potentially damage or even crash your computer.
  
  So if your grandkids are sharing pictures or videos with you, just tell them to upload these to Photobucket or YouTube and send you a link instead. Although if you absolutely have to, most e-mail services have built-in virus scanners, so make sure to scan your attachments first before downloading anything to your computer.


• Do not give out your personal information (even if you 'won' a million pesos).
  
  You’ll receive a lot of e-mails saying that you’ve won millions, or an all-expense-paid trip to Bermuda or even a brand-new car (which they’ll deliver right to your doorstep) if you just provide them with a few simple bits of personal information.
  
  Don't even think about it! Junk that e-mail immediately. 'Phishing' is the most common cybercrime committed, wherein criminals attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card information. Just remember: if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.



• Do not add everyone to your network (even if you're friendly).
  
  If you’re a member of a social networking site (SNS) like Facebook, having a gazillion friends may sound great but that also means that you’re more prone to having online stalkers.
  
  It may make you feel like a celebrity having someone follow you around the worldwide web all the time; however, this also means that these predators can gain access to the accounts of your grandkids through you. Worst case scenario is that one of your grandchildren will add these stalkers as well, thinking they can be trusted because of your online connection.
  
  So next time someone adds you, make sure to check their profiles first. See their list of friends and see if you have mutual friends. Then double-check with those friends to see if this is a legitimate account. It might be a little bit tedious but it's the safety of your grandkids that’s at stake.

"Cyberspace can be a daunting place for everyone, not just grandparents, so we’re giving them information on how to protect themselves and make their online experience together with their grandkids more enjoyable," ends Rojo.

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The launch of Talk 'N Text's Tipid-Sulit Pinas! advocacy gave birth to the idea of diskarteng tipid-sulit inherent among Filipinos, igniting sparks of hope especially for those who have limited resources to overcome life’s challenges.

People who have only their jobs to depend on for a living can take the cue from this advocacy — having a good diskarte through hard work, perseverance, and skills can be a great way to make one’s present job work to meet one’s needs in the face of crises.

Consider Louie Alcoran, a 29-year-old husband and father of two who has been working in the same company for almost nine years. Tipid-Sulit Pinas! emboldens people like him who appreciates the value of having work, especially in times of need, regardless of academic background.

Louie only finished high school, but this does not stop him from performing more than is expected of him. He started out as a messenger. But because of work dedication, diligence and commendable work ethic, he has acquired skills that helped him earn the trust of his colleagues to carry on bigger responsibilities.

People like Louie make a career investment out of learning new skills, enhancing knowledge, and building contacts — something they can put to good use come promotion time. Indeed, at the rate Louie is going, it will not be surprising if a promotion is awarded soon.

Louie works harder to secure his job and ensure that his young family’s needs are met. His hard work is certainly starting to pay off. In fact, he has already managed to buy basic household appliances from his yearend bonuses. He also knows how to celebrate the fruits of his labor by ensuring that he rewards himself and his loved ones once in a while.

Tipid-Sulit Pinas! aims to create more inspiring stories like Louie’s to more barangays nationwide. Hopefully, it moves more people to work just as hard and persevere in attaining their goals in life.

Indeed, it takes talent, commit-ment, and determination for one to make the most out of his present job. What is more important than the kind of job one has today is how he does his job to make everything work for himself and his loved ones.

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During a forum at Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on 25 November 2009, one of the speakers revealed that the big demand for makapuno or the mutant nut in the Philippines as well as in other countries may offer Filipino businessmen an opportunity to make it big in the business of producing planting materials, or the nut itself.

The production of 'true-to-type' makapuno is now made easy, says Cristeta Cueto, one of the science researcher specialists at the Philippine Coconut Authority Albay Research Center who developed an embryo-cultured makapuno in 2008.

Because of the big demand for makapuno both here and abroad, Cueto said the technology offers a big opportunity for prospective investors to venture into tissue culture laboratory and nursery operations, or to produce the nut itself for domestic and foreign consumption.

Speaking before an investors' forum, Cueto cited data from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) confirming the wide gap between the supply and demand for makapuno nuts.

"In 1999, 134,000 pieces of embryo-cultured makapuno were required to plant 1,160 hectares and serve the eight million makapuno nuts required by the market," she said.

"Since then, massive planting of laboratory-raised seedlings had been encouraged to retain the status of being the largest makapuno nut-producing country among the coconut-growing regions," Cueto added.

Aside from the PCA-Albay Research Center, which has expanded its production in different parts of the country, several private laboratories have also been established to mass produce the 'true-to-type' makapuno seedlings.

"These initiatives, however, covered only about 33 percent of the computed supply-demand gap," she said.

According to Cueto, a large potential in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and industrial makapuno-based products is waiting to be explored. She cited studies conducted by Dr. Ma. Judith B. Rodriguez of the PCA-ARC in the utilization of the nut’s highly viscous liquid endosperm that has high content of galactomannan, a polysaccharide, which can be used as alternative raw material for the production of hand and body lotion, hand sanitizers, facial masks, hair cream and hair gel, shampoo, conditioner and even as biodegradable edible film.

Cueto said the use of the makapuno embryo culture technology gives rise to true-to-type makapuno seedlings which at reproductive stage, yield 75-100 percent makapuno nuts.

She said the improved protocol had successfully reduced the planting materials’ growing period from 13 to ten months. Moreover, the protocol had been simplified by doing away with most of the complicated laboratory steps. The shortened period and the simplifications reduced the planting materials’ production cost, she said.

The makapuno embryo culture (ECM) technology is the only available technique for commercial production of true-to-type makapuno planting materials. Investors for the mass production of embryo cultured makapuno seedlings will be provided complete technical training on the developed protocol, she said.

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Don't look now, but the 2010 Presidential aspirants may find themselves playing second fiddle once voters decide to cast their lot in favor of Ninoy Aquino as the country's next President. You heard it right, Ninoy Aquino and not Noynoy Aquino for the top post.

The martyred senator's ideals has become alive as if he were joining the slew of presidential candidates promising change in next year’s polls — at least in the realm of statement tees. That is because Oh-We’re-So-Filipino (OWSF), a group that conceptualized the shirts, has publicly challenged all the presidential aspirants to embody what Ninoy Aquino stood for.

Sportscaster Mico Halili said his group wanted to introduce the radical idea to make people think: What if Ninoy were alive today? What could he be doing during these tumultuous political times? How can the country be better with a President like Ninoy?

Halili explained to GMANews.TV that, "Aside from being very much in tune with the (country’s current) political situation, the shirts encourage people to act. We ask them: Wouldn't you want your next president to be someone like Ninoy? He’s someone who’s willing to (put his life on the line)."

He likewise clarified that OWSF is not a political movement endorsing Noynoy’s candidacy.

"Having Ninoy as OWSF’s icon is a sentimental choice. When we were kids, we knew Ninoy. We remember the day of his assassination. For us, Ninoy is a very strong symbol. We wanted him on our initial line. We're not really aligned with any movement or group aiming to propel Noynoy to the presidency," Halili said.

The 'Ninoy for President' shorts are sold at PhP 550.00 per piece retail and are available at the Analog Soul boutiques - PowerPlant Mall in Makati City and TriNoMa Mall in Quezon City. OWSF also sells their line in Commune Manila, a quaint shop along Perea Street, Makati. Part of the shirt proceeds will go to Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Foundation.

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The latest release of an international report indicates that branchless banking in microfinance, which utilizes mobile phone banking extensively, will expand further until 2020.

But the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) report, bursts of rapid acceleration will be followed by periods of falloff or flatter growth.

"Recent surveys of customers using branchless channels in Kenya, Brazil, Philippines, South Africa and India show that today’s customers are primarily not the un-served majority," FinanceAsia said quoting the CGAP report. "We were able to identify only a few providers who are using mainly branchless channels and who meet two criteria: serving more than a million active low-end clients and making a profit from doing so."

The report from CGAP and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, is part of a six-month scenario-building project that engaged nearly 200 leaders from more than 30 countries. CGAP is

It stipulated that the success in branchless banking depends on offering a far superior product to existing options.

“To date, branchless channels meet this standard only for some clients. High initial adoption can be followed by high dormancy rates or infrequent usage, which indicate that the service is not as useful as it first appeared. Ultimately, poor people will use the new electronic services when they meet real needs,” Sarah Rotman, co-author of the report, said.

The report identified four key forces, which are likely to increase the use of branchless channels by the poor. These are:

• Demographic changes – including a greater number of younger consumers coming into the market and greater mobility at least within countries – will be favorable for the adoption of branchless banking.


• Activist governments will play a greater role as regulators of the financial sector, providers of social safety nets, and providers or encouragers of the rollout of low-cost bank accounts and financial infrastructure. This expanded role may be helpful for financial inclusion.


• While security concerns about cash crime will continue to drive the adoption of electronic transaction channels, the rise of electronic crime will affect consumer confidence and test the risk management of financial providers.


• Internet browsing via mobile phones will reduce costs of financial transactions, and enable new players to offer financial services.

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This is not a surprise anymore, but the paced it was used nowadays is something amazing to witness.

Bargain hunters in Asia Pacific are using the Internet to seek out best buys from online merchants and auction websites, according to the Visa e-Commerce Consumer Monitor1.

The survey found that the most important reason for respondents to shop online is to be able to compare prices and save money (42 percent), followed by searching for bargains or discounted items (24 percent) and saving time (23 percent). The ability to compare prices and save money was the top reason cited for shopping on the Internet for respondents from Korea (54 percent), Australia (52 percent) and Japan (41 percent).

Bob Joubert, Visa country manager for the Philippines, said: "Budget conscious consumers in Asia Pacific know that some of the best buys are on the Internet. As online merchants across the world offer attractive promotions during lean economic times, there is no better time for consumers to land cheaper buys from the Internet. From knick knacks to branded goods, online shopping is not only a smart way to save money, but is also a convenient way to browse a retailer’s full range of products whether at home
or abroad."

Across the region, more than three in five respondents said they have participated in online auctions - 79 percent said they participated in an online auction on a local website and 69 percent have participated in an online auction on an overseas website.

Heading the list, respondents from Hong Kong (91 percent) are the most likely to have participated in an online auction on a local website, followed by Australia (87 percent) and Korea (77 percent). Overseas online auction websites are most popular with respondents from Hong Kong (83 percent), Australia (72 percent) and India (71 percent).

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