Friday, 5 March 2010

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief


via CAAI News Media

Pepper, sugar GI status

Friday, 05 March 2010 15:00 Nguon Sovan

KAMPOT pepper and Kampong Speu palm sugar have been recognised as Geographical Indicator (GI) products by the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), it was confirmed Thursday. Lao Reasey, chief of the ministry’s GI bureau at the Intellectual Property Rights Department, said that a ceremony to mark the official recognition of Cambodia’s first two GI products would be held at the end of this month. Producers have reacted well to the announcement. “It is good news for us. It reflects our efforts for more than two years to prepare for GI status. Those efforts have come to fruition now,” Nguon Lay, president of Kampot Pepper Farmers’ Association, said Thursday.

WING set to expand

Friday, 05 March 2010 15:00 Ellie Dyer

MOBILE money-transfer service WING intends to expand its business to enable customers to pay utility bills and make loan repayments through their phones, its managing director said Thursday. Speaking after the launch of the company’s Social Impact Report, held at the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh, Brad Jones told the Post: “We see microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Cambodia as an evolving growth area.” He said he hopes to work with MFIs to enable customers to pay off loans, pay electricity bills, and eventually disburse loans through the technology. He ruled out moving into taking deposits in the future, but said the business would help MFIs to use the system to develop services. WING, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ANZ Bank, works with Mfone, Hello, qb and Smart Mobile to allow people to make payments though mobile phones.

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