Samsung-backed HR-tech startup Swingvy commences operation in Taiwan

Singapore- and Malaysia-based HR-tech startup Swingvy has announced its expansion into Taiwan with the launch of a new payroll product.

This follows Swingvy’s US$7 million Series A funding in 2019, led by Samsung Ventures, which marked the Korean electronic behemoth’s maiden  investment in Southeast Asia.

According to Jin Choeh, Co-founder and CEO, Swingvy, the new product is completely compliant with Taiwan’s Labour Laws, as it calculates the payroll taxes, deductions, and claims via integration with its existing software HR Hub.

This means employers can run payroll and issue digital payslips instantly and accurately to their employees, calculated according to the employee details found on HR Hub, which it claims will minimise manual pay miscalculation errors.

Philippines’s ride-hailing firm Angkas pivots to delivery service

The Philippines-based motorcycle ride-hailing service Angkas has announced that it is pivoting to delivery services amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The decision comes after the government’s physical distancing policies left 95 per cent of Angkas’s business paralysed, ABS-CBN News reports.

Back in March, Angkas operations were suspended due to the ban imposed by the Department of Transportation because it violates the 1-meter distancing recommended by health experts.

To help sustain their riders’ livelihood, Angkas has also launched Angkas Food and will not take any commission on the initiative.

Also Read: Samsung’s VC arm leads US$7M Series A in HRtech startup Swingvy

“We are just pivoting to deliveries. Most of the [Angkas] motorcycles are doing deliveries. They are delivering goods or food to people,” Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca, told the Senate Committee on Public Services.

Before proving that their existence is pivotal during this pandemic, Angkas was entangled in a legal controversy with the government’s allegation that the ride-hailing platform violated a constitutional ban on foreign ownership.

Facebook, Instagram share new gift cards tools to support small businesses in Singapore

With a mission to support businesses in Singapore impacted by COVID-19, Facebook and Instagram will roll out new features to enable people to purchase gift cards from local businesses on the platforms via select third-party partner sites.

Facebook is testing a feature where people will be able to access gift cards from participating merchants in their cities through a “Support Local Businesses” promotion on Facebook.

The gift cards are made possible through partners, such as Fave and Chope, which will share the value of the gift card minus their transaction fee with the participating merchant.

On Instagram, businesses can add a gift card sticker to their Stories and also a button for their business profile page. Each time someone sees a Story with these stickers or goes to the business profile page, they can tap through to complete a purchase on the website of the chosen platform.

Instagram is also launching new capabilities to make it easy for people to show their support for businesses through hashtags and stickers. A new “Support Small Business” sticker on Instagram lets people give their favorite business a shout out.
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Picture Credit: Swingvy

The post Roundup: Samsung-backed HR-tech startup Swingvy launches in Taiwan; Filipino ride-hailing firm Angkas pivots to deliveries appeared first on e27.