GreenPak replaced traditional recycling skips with smart technology-equipped iBiNs in 42 localities the collector serves, earlier this year. The installation was also accompanied by the launch of an online application that helps citizens locate the bins.

“As the figures amply show, iBiNs are positively impacting on recycling in both Malta and Gozo as they are making it easier and more efficient for people to recycle, anytime, anywhere,” said Mario Schembri, GreenPak’s CEO.

During the first five months of this year, over 253,000 kg of plastics were recovered, equivalent to 3,162,500 plastic bottles, according to the press release.

Between January and May 2019, GreenPak also registered an increase of 39% in recovered paper and glass materials when compared to the same five-month period in 2018.

“For us at GreenPak, world environment day is practically every day — 365 days a year. Recycling serves to protect and improve the environment which today is globally recognised as being seriously threatened through, among others, the depletion of its raw materials,” commented Mr Schembri.

“Our day-to-day work and operations serve as a tangible platform for public outreach across Malta and Gozo. Using our latest technological system, today we know that in 2019 there has not been a single day when citizens did not use GreenPak’s iBiNs to recycle,” Mr Schembri added.

The intelligent bins are able to measure their fill-level and transmit the information to a central system using Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, delivered to the island nation by Vodafone Malta, which the service provider says is the first such ecosystem in Malta.

Following last month’s official launch of the iBiNs link, in collaboration with Vodafone, more significant results are expected in the coming months, as the press release says, as this link via mobile phone will be directing the person to the nearest empty iBiN, meaning more efficient use of time and less driving trying to locate an empty bin.

The web app is available on the official website of GreenPak; no download is necessary. Furthermore, it is screen-responsive, which means that it works on any device such as smartphones, tablets, portable computers and others.

Editorial Note: The present article was updated with additional information about the IoT technology delivered by Vodafone Malta.

The post GreenPak’s iBiNs double plastic waste recovery first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The service is available every day between 05:30 and 22:30 on the so-called TD Plus bus. It operates at a limited number of bus stops to be able to offer customers a shorter journey time. These stops are in the following localities: Valletta, Floriana, Pietà, Blata l-Bajda, Msida, San Ġwann, St. Julian’s, Swieqi and Pembroke.

TD Plus allows clients to choose when and where to be picked up from and dropped off. Therefore individuals can book a trip between bus stops without worrying about whether there is space in the bus. Moreover, notifications are sent to alert app users that the bus is on its way.

Every customer has the possibility to book multiple passengers on a single trip and request access for wheelchairs or pushchairs.

The TD Plus fleet includes six new minibuses, which are low floor and fully wheelchair accessible. WiFi is available at no additional cost and seats are equipped with USB charging ports. The minibuses can accommodate up to 16 passengers, according to the press statement.

New tech system

The updated Tallinja app can be downloaded for free from the iPhone App Store and Android Google Play Store. Once in the app, the new service is available by tapping on the TD plus icon.

To provide this service, Malta Public Transport has partnered with Ecolane, an on-demand scheduling and dispatching software company.

In fact, TD Plus uses technology that matches the requests made by different passengers to select the most efficient route. It offers greater flexibility, more comfort and added value while saving time, the service provider says.

During the month of June — as a special introductory offer — the service will be available at €2 per trip when the customer books through the Tallinja App, as the press statement says. The two payment options are Tallinja Card credit or debit/credit card.

The post Malta Public Transport launches new TD Plus service first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

SOL Networks is an umbrella brand for 15+ projects. The board of Dating.com took this “strategic” decision, during the board meeting in Malta in the spring of 2019. The group plans to expand through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals, which will be announced in the near future.  

“Countless dating startups have popped up in recent years and we are eager to find ones that are a good fit for Dating.com Group’s ambitious goals,” said Alla Gubenko, board director in Dating.com Group. “Our key markets are Asia and the US, for their growth potential. We would love to make deals with companies targeting those areas in creative ways,” he added.

The company is developing its inorganic investment strategy and is looking to partner with early and late-stage companies in online dating, social interaction and live streaming markets, according to the press release.

Group anticipates expanding markets

Dating.com Group expects the market to grow to $3.74b in developed markets, with future growth expected in developing markets, speakers of the group announced during GDI Singapore Dating Conference 2019 – Global Dating Insights held on 13-14 May, based on research they carried out.

For instance, in China, dating companies have earned around $50m in revenue from mobile application downloads. In India, online dating platform Tinder was the top-grossing app on Google Play and the second-highest on Apple’s App Store at the end of 2018.

“The iPhone’s disruptive potential cannot be overstated. The way people conduct their lives and interact is evolving. Companies must provide creative, tailored solutions to prosper in the next decade,” said Yuri Papadin, Head of M&A and Corporate Development at Dating.com Group.

Focusing on app improvements, the research also revealed that customers are looking for more than “superficial pictures” usually posted on such platforms and the swiping-nature of selecting date parties. Therefore, Badoo — another dating platform — is preparing to switch “swiping” for live streaming after a survey of users found that 68% dislike swiping. Tinder has also partnered with Foursquare to set up “real-life” dates, the press statement says.

“It was great sharing our insights at the GDI conference. Since the market may be cooling a bit, it is more important than ever that companies do their homework and tailor dating platforms to a specific niche,” said Maria Sullivan, the head of the Dating.com Group’s New York office.

Dating.com Group is a global social discovery platform, enabling people from around the globe to connect through the power of shared interests and mutual benefits. Dating.com Group has offices in seven countries and a team of over 500 professionals and over 73 million users.

SOL Networks is an international internet-holding company headquartered in Malta. It specialises in the creation and promotion of websites where users can expand their social and business connections.

The post Dating.com to dip toe in expanding US, Asian markets first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

With the delayed deadline for a Brexit deal to 31 October, uncertainties around the United Kingdom leaving the bloc have not settled yet. Nevertheless, Revolut says they prepared for any possible scenario. “If the United Kingdom and the European Union strike a deal, or if there’s a period of transitional relief, then we would continue to passport our UK-authorised permissions — via Revolut Ltd — across Europe, and there would be no action required on our customers’ side,” Mr Litsikakis tells BM.

Should the two parties be unable to reach a deal, Revolut has plans in the pipeline. Last year, Revolut Payments UAB was set up in preparation for a no-deal Brexit scenario. Revolut says that although this entity is fully operational, it is only a precautionary measure, for now. “We are pleased to confirm that this new entity is now in beta phase. As we all sit and wait to see what happens, mitigating any disruption to your services is our paramount concern. We will only switch our EEA-based customers over to this new entity in the event of a no-deal scenario,” the country manager responsible for Malta says.

Although an uncertain environment might linger on until at least the 31 October deadline, Revolut says that European customers should rest assured. “We want to assure all of our customers in Europe that we have taken the necessary preparations to ensure that they can continue to use Revolut in the same way, whatever the outcome,” the country manager underscores.

A market of ‘phenomenal’ growth

It is almost impossible to line up for payment at any POS in Malta, seeing not a single individual flashing a Revolut card. It is equally unlikely to carry out a conversation with acquaintances without bumping into Revolut card holders, or people who have at least heard about the concept. What makes the Maltese land such fertile soil for a fintech company such as Revolut?

“The Maltese market is extremely important to Revolut due to a large number of expats, migrant workers and professionals transferring money in and out of the country. So far, Revolut has proved to be incredibly popular in Malta, with over 90,000 customers signed up to date, that is around one-fifth of the population. We are signing up around 200 customers per day and only expect that to increase. Six months ago we only had around 30,000 customers in Malta, so the growth has been phenomenal,” Mr Litsikakis says.

“Revolut has proved to be incredibly popular in Malta, with over 90,000 customers signed up to date, that is around one-fifth of the population. We are signing up around 200 customers per day,”

says Revolut’s Dimitris Litsikakis.

Revolut believes its popularity lies in the “modern design” that their mobile application offers for users, as well as the fact that they issue no hidden fees and sport responsive customer service. Additional features such as instant payment notifications, automatic spending categorisation, budgeting tools, spare change saving and enhanced security further boost their prestige in the eyes of users, the company believes.

Furthermore, Revolut allows users to buy and sell a selection of cryptocurrencies, as well as to get pay-per-day travel insurance through their app. Registration for a Revolut account takes places in approximately ten minutes, and once an account is opened, users can send, spend and exchange 29 currencies in-app and spend fee-free globally in over 150 currencies, up to a threshold of £200 every month on the free plan.

Revolut’s expansion comes in a time when people appear, albeit slowly, to become more open to fintech solutions, as well as they are becoming more conscious about taking elevated control over their finances. “Fintechs are gaining in popularity across the world due to a growing shift of consumers using their phones to handle their finances and demanding more from their banks. They are no longer happy to accept rubbish exchange rates and monthly fees. Fintechs, such as Revolut, offer an alternative to the big banks,” Mr Litsikakis says.

For fuelling further growth, Revolut is planning to host more RevRally [awareness-raising promotional] events this year in Malta to encourage more consumers to open accounts with the company. “In Europe, we currently have over 4.6 million customers and are building a European Growth Machine that will help us scale at speed in every European country where Revolut’s service is currently available to further boost our customer numbers,” the country manager tells BM.

Additionally, Revolut aims to grow out of Europe. They expect to expand into a number of global markets in the coming months, with foreseen launches in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Australia and New Zealand planned in 2019.

Revolut insists on unshaken compliance

The Telegraph broke the news on 28 February that Revolut was “accused of violating basic banking rules by failing to block thousands of potentially suspicious transactions on its platform,” the report writes. Citing documents The Telegraph says had acquired, the online daily reported that Revolut switched off its system flagging suspicious transfers.

This was briefly followed by news that CFO Peter O’Higgins had resigned from his position at the company. On top of this, Revolut ran into technical issues on 1 March, affecting their app’s functionality including top-ups, exchanges and other features. Revolut’s engineers fixed the issues in a matter of minutes. Nevertheless, some Maltese customers, reading international news and swiftly jumping to unsubstantiated conclusions, ran to ATMs quickly withdrawing money, in the belief that Revolut was going down.

Nikolay Storonsky, the founding CEO of Revolut, soon after the news broke denied reports suggesting that his company would have been involved in activities raising the issue of possible “money laundering”. He also said that no connection could be found between the resignation of his company’s finance chief and the alleged “money laundering”, despite what news reports suggested.

Business Malta asked Revolut to explain the events of end-February and early-March from their perspective. “In the middle of last year, we rolled out a new sanctions screening system in parallel with our existing systems and controls. The new system required recalibration on the basis that it was creating some false positive cases (pending payments),” Mr Litsikakis tells BM about the roots of the events. During this period, Revolut says their 200-strong compliance team reviewed all payments on their platform. “The new system and subsequent recalibration had nothing to do with money laundering, and we want to make it abundantly clear that there were no breaches,” Mr Litsikakis puts his feet down.

“The new system and subsequent recalibration had nothing to do with money laundering, and we want to make it abundantly clear that there were no breaches,”

says Revolut’s Dimitris Litsikakis.

By the second week of March, the Telegraph substantially amended its article and issued a correction statement both online and in their print edition related to news they broke about Revolut.

“We would like to clarify that there never was any lapse in our anti-money laundering controls or our sanction screening process. It is also important to note that a number of articles erroneously conflated our anti-money laundering systems and our sanctions screening process,” Mr Litsikakis insists.

Business Malta was interested to learn about the magnitude of cash withdrawal in Malta at the time of unfavourable news stirring waters among its local users about the company; however, Revolut declined to disclose figures. “We do not share details of how much money is deposited in Revolut,” the company says.

The post Revolut readies intact services regardless of Brexit outcome, eyes further expansion first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

GoTo Mobility currently offers its services in Malta and 12 other cities internationally. Moovit’s mobile application provides presently services of GoTo, Autotel and CAR2GO. Utilising the app, users have access to shared cars in Israel as a first step of integrating the services that GoTo Mobility powers around the world, with more to follow.

“The integration between GoTo Mobility and Moovit in Israel opens up new possibilities for the mobility operations we power around the world. Now our customers can get more users by having their shared vehicles visible on the Moovit application thanks to the integration,” says Shirly Kalush, COO at GoTo Mobility. “Moovit is a great service working in 2,700 cities in 87 countries and 44 languages. It is a win-win partnership for all of us: Moovit users will get access to shared vehicles, while GoTo Mobility powered operators will receive more demand,” adds Ms Kalush.

“People in urban areas have dozens of ways to access urban mobility, whether it’s by bus, train, ferry, auto ride-sharing, bike or scooter,” says Yovav Meydad, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Moovit. “Moovit is a leading Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform and #1 urban mobility app in the world. We always strive to provide the most complete range of mobility options to our users, so we are pleased to join forces with GoTo Mobility to add car-sharing services to our platform,” Mr Meydad adds.

GoTo Mobility is a white label vehicle sharing software, powering operations in 13 cities worldwide. Among GoTo Mobility customers are Car2Go Israel, car sharing of Malta, Respiro, a Seat company, and AutoTel.

The post GoTo Mobility integrates platform with Moovit first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.