Tag: Asia

The break-up of Japan Post creates the world's largest bank

Posted by | Oct 4, 2007 | |

The break-up of Japan Post creates the world’s largest bank

Japan’s financial services industry has entered a new era with the reorganisation of Japan Post on October 1st. The move has created the world’s largest bank, Japan Post Bank. This has the potential to invigorate Japan’s financial sector by encouraging more efficient capital allocation and by exposing management of the country’s vast pool of under-utilised postal savings to greater market forces. However, there is also considerable uncertainty as to whether the net effect of the restructuring will be to promote financial-sector competition or to stifle it. In addition, the diversification of investments implied by the restructuring could increase financial risks as well as lead to turbulence in the Japanese government bond (JGB) market.

The restructuring of Japan Post is the first step in a ten-year privatisation programme. In terms of “privatisation”, no sale of government assets has yet occurred. As of October 1st, the former Japan Post has simply been spun off into four commercial entities under a 100% government-owned holding company. The division of the four new businesses reflects the post office’s previous main areas of activity. Thus, there is a bank (Japan Post Bank), an insurance company (Japan Post Insurance), a postal delivery service (Japan Post Service) and a branch-management business (Japan Post Network). The latter of these is responsible for running the nation’s 24,000 post offices.

The privatisation plan involves the holding company, Japan Post Holdings, selling its entire stakes in the banking and insurance businesses by 2017, with some of that divestment expected to take place via stockmarket listings as early as 2009 or 2010. The holding company will keep control of the mail delivery and branch-management businesses, although it will gradually sell up to around two-thirds of its own shares.

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DHL launches innovative DHL eMailShip service to streamline shipment procedures

Posted by | Oct 3, 2007 | |

DHL launches innovative DHL eMailShip service to streamline shipment procedures
New e-tool offers customers greater convenience and responsiveness

DHL launched a patented electronic service – DHL eMailShip – across 18 markets in Asia Pacific to help customers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, save time by streamlining shipment procedures.

With DHL, you can rely on one company for all your express and logistics needs.
DHL’s customers can now file their shipment details electronically using DHL eMailShip – an innovative industry-first. Doing away with paper, the service allows air waybills and other required paperwork to be prepared offline using the Adobe Acrobat PDF or Microsoft Excel format, and submitted to DHL via email. Upon DHL’s receipt of the completed forms, customers would directly receive a confirmation email with an air waybill number and the necessary declaration forms.

Ease of shipment filing aside, users will enjoy the convenience of arranging shipment pick-ups electronically at the click of the mouse. Furthermore, they can look forward to enhancing their productivity through DHL eMailShip, which affords easy and fast access to respective shipment documents without having to search through files of paperwork. It also allows details entered in previous electronic forms to be re-used for subsequent shipments.

The easy-to-use DHL eMailShip does not require additional software installation, password or hardware, beyond the basic configuration of a PC equipped with Internet connection, email system, the relevant Acrobat Adobe or Microsoft Excel programme and a printer.

To download a complimentary copy of eMailShip, please visit www.dhl.com.sg, where a handy user-guide with step-by-step instructions for using the tool is also available.

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Japan Post vows to keep rural mail service

Posted by | Oct 2, 2007 | |

The new holding company running Japan’s postal service promised it would continue serving unprofitable rural areas.

Japan Post Holdings Co., beginning a 10-year privatization of some 24,000 post offices, said it would create a fund to maintain the old Postal Services Agency’s nationwide “universal service,” even as it pursues profitability amid growing competition.

Some 240,000 postal workers, who lost their status as public workers, began wearing new uniforms Monday.

A company spokesman said no system troubles had been reported with the changeover.

With the privatization, the company, which also controls insurance and banking, became the world’s biggest commercial bank, with more than USD 3.1 trillion in assets, eclipsing Citigroup Inc.’s USD 2.22 trillion.

Despite banking-industry opposition, the company’s Japan Post Bank subsidiary plans to start mortgage and credit-card businesses, the Kyodo News service reported.

It also seeks alliances with banking rivals with consumer, business and financial-products investment experience, the news agency said.

It is in talks with Shizuoka, Japan’s Suruga Bank Ltd. to collaborate on home loans, the agency said.

Within three years, the holding company plans to spin off Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance Co. and list them on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, leaving the company to focus on mail delivery and counter service, Kyodo News said.

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DHL New Zealand Survey: Exporters turning to E-commerce

Posted by | Oct 1, 2007 | |

The majority of exporters are now using the Internet for deliveries, pick up and shipping of their goods, according to a survey by express and logistics company DHL.

The DHL Online Trade Survey asked over 250 New Zealand importers and exporters their views on eCommerce, with 60 percent saying they used the Internet.

The survey found that of those exporters who use the internet for deliveries, pick up and shipping of their goods, 57 per cent stated it was because it was more time efficient and 25 per cent claimed it was because they found booking online easy to use.

Of those companies who did not use the internet, only four per cent stated it was because they had fears around security.

Five per cent said it was because the process was too confusing. The majority, 68 per cent stated it was because they prefer to speak to someone in person.

DHL Express General Manager, Derek Anderson, says 81 per cent of exporters have a website for sales and marketing. Of those companies 64 per cent of the queries or sales orders coming from within New Zealand.

The next largest number of responses was from the U.S with 12 per cent.

Mr. Anderson says having a website can be a powerful marketing and reference tool.

However he says when developing off shore markets, face-to-face meetings are always going to be the strongest way to make business connections, which might explain why the majority of the queries and sales leads come from within New Zealand.

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