Dusit Thani Maldives announces unmissable festive season highlights

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Luxurious celebrations and cultural discoveries await all guests at Dusit’s luxury resort on Mudhdhoo Island in Baa Atoll.

Mudhdhoo Island, 04 November 2021 – Five-star luxury and unforgettable experiences await all guests at Dusit Thani Maldives this coming holiday season. Festooned in artfully crafted sustainable decorations, and encircled by a teeming house reef, the island haven welcomes revellers with tropical marvels, gala dinners, dazzling events, world-class service from culinary masters and cultural ambassadors, and Dusit’s unique brand of Thai-inspired gracious hospitality. 

The magic kicks off on Tuesday 21 December with a tree-lighting ceremony, and continues on Christmas Eve with sunset cocktails and a gala dinner. Christmas morning brings guests together for a lazy Champagne brunch and Santa’s arrival on the beach. A feast of culinary adventures follows, including a traditional Maldivian seafood night, gourmet wine dinner, a luscious lobster barbecue, and a South American-themed banquet. 

New Year celebrations begin with an elegant cocktail reception followed by a gala dinner featuring spectacular performances, live music, dancing, and fireworks at midnight. Guests will ease into 2022 with a leisurely New Year’s breakfast and, on Thursday 6 January, wrap up the season with a sumptuous Orthodox Christmas dinner by the ocean. 

Throughout the festive period, Baan Sanook kids club will welcome younger guests with exciting and engaging activities themed around the festivities and the island. Highlights include Christmas crafts, local games and dancing, coconut leaf art, and traditional music.

Alongside its full programme of special festive events, the resort offers myriad ways for guests to make the most of an end-of-year getaway in stunning tropical surrounds. Luxurious over-water villas and beachfront residences offer direct access to the crystal waters for leisurely explorations of the 360-degree house reef. Aquatic adventurers in search of larger-than-life encounters can take advantage of the resort’s proximity to nearby Hanifaru Bay, favoured by playful mantas and 

whale sharks, with trips arranged by the knowledgeable team at the resort’s Ocean Dive Centre. 

And for those seeking a truly authentic local experience, Dusit Safeeru – or cultural ambassadors – are on hand to take guests on fascinating journeys to explore Maldivian food, music and customs, for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a glimpse of unique island lifestyles. 

For more information about the resort and its special festive programme, please contact resmaldives@dusit.com.

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Crime-buster and corruption fighter

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Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is relying on his record as crime-buster and corruption fighter to win him the presidency.

This is evident in his video advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_HZnGnsow) that highlights some of his major accomplishments as a senator and former head of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Lacson plans to expand these initiatives as president and bring the government closer to the people. His main advocacy is to give more power to local government units that are closest to the citizens and understand the people’s needs best and are in a better position to respond to their problems more effectively.

The senator’s campaign underscores his efforts to prevent public money from being lost through corruption. His careful and detailed scrutiny of the national budget has saved the country P300 billion. Lacson proved his strong opposition to the pork barrel that had become for legislators a major perk of their jobs, by refusing to have any part of it.

Among other accomplishments Lacson has listed as proof of his qualification for the highest post in the country are the investigations of the P728 million fertilizer scam, the anomalous $329 million contract between the Philippines and China’s ZTE Company, and Payola or bribery in the Bureau of Customs by exposing the TARA list.

He also brought to the public’s attention the “Hello Garci” tapes, an attempt at cheating during the 2004 elections.

The former military officer and PNP chief exposed the chopper scam where the government paid brand-new prices for second-hand helicopters.

Lacson’s initiatives as PNP chief earned him a trust rating of 78+ percent from the public, the highest rating ever recorded for the position.

Philippines' Mynt marks successful funding round

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Touted as the Philippines’ first unicorn after securing millions in a funding round, Mynt has cemented itself as one of the country’s leading fintech companies.

What is Mynt?

According to its official website, Mynt is a fintech startup partnership between Globe Telecom, the Ayala Corporation and Ant Financial. Its five main services are payments, remittance, loans, business solutions and platforms. Upon its introduction, Mynt affirmed its intention to aggressively and strategically grow the micro-lending business in the Philippines, whilst also launching additional products. To provide context on the financial services industry in the Philippines in 2018, it was reported that only approximately 3% of the population had a credit card, while only 34.5% had a bank account. This was the case from a population of approximately 100 million. Therefore, it is evident that when Mynt came onto the scene, there was a gap that it could fill with minimal competition, as well as financial services that needed to be provided to citizens. 

Fintech innovations and funding

Understanding the direction in which the world is moving, given the role and impact of technology in all aspects of our lives, the growing investor interest in fintech companies is expected. 

Moreover, people all around the word prioritised fintech and digital solutions in 2020, mostly due to the unprecedented global conditions. This is also partially why forex trading is said to be on the rise, as people are looking for convenience and alternatives to conduct financial transactions on their smart devices. 

When it comes to forex trading, however, the good thing is that one need not be a finance guru in order to succeed, nor does one need buckets of money to get started. Knowing which currencies to trade to improve your chances of succeeding on the markets is important. Compared to USD and JPY trading, which are two of the most stable currencies and form part of the so-called gopher currency pair, other currencies may not necessarily be as lucrative; nonetheless, there are many that are equally promising on the forex market. 

Whenn it comes to Mynt and its offering, it appears to have tapped into the market at the right time and it seems to have proved that it has more to offer in fintech. The company has been hailed as the Philippines’ first unicorn after securing $300 million in its recent funding round from various investors, such as US-based Warburg Pincus and Insight Partners. Speaking on the success of the recent funding round and its new investors, Martha Sazon, President and CEO of Mynt, was quoted as saying, "We have been able to continuously expand by introducing game-changing innovations while improving our profitability profile." Sazon added, "We are excited about our new partnership with Warburg, Insight, Itai Tsiddon and Amplo, as they each bring strategic value to our team in the pursuit of our vision towards finance for all." The recent funding round is said to have boosted Mynt’s valuation to $2 billion, and is a significant indication of the growth of and demand for financial services and digital banking in the Philippines. Warburg Pincus’ Saurabh Agarwal highlighted Mynt’s dominance and market share in the country as one of the main reasons for the investment, in addition to its innovative technology and superior products.