Corporate News
OCL and PayPal Collaborate to Drive E-Commerce Adoption in Hong Kong
On 26 June, OCL and PayPal Hong Kong Limited (PayPal) announced the collaboration in launching a mobile top-up service to provide Hong Kong online shoppers with a seamless global e-commerce experience. The details of the collaboration was shared at a media conference hosted by Sunny Cheung, CEO of OCL and William Ip, Director, Large Enterprise and Marketplace of PayPal Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan. The service enables Octopus O! ePay users to top up their PayPal accounts and get connected with its global network of 19 million of merchants. It represents a major milestone in the shared mission of both companies in driving financial inclusion and e-commerce adoption in the city since customers now have broader top-up facilities other than credit cards or bank accounts.
OCL Re-enters Taxi Payment Market Boosting Convenience for Taxi Passengers
OCL announced its re-entry to the taxi payment market, with Octopus App for Business now enabling taxi drivers to more easily accept Octopus payments from all passengers. The Octopus App for Business can turn any taxi driver’s NFC-enabled mobile device into an Octopus reader for accepting payments by Octopus cards. The app can also accept Octopus O! ePay QR code payments.
A speech recognition feature is also introduced to enhance the user-friendliness of Octopus App for Business, so taxi drivers do not have to input the payment amount manually, but can simply speak to the app.
Topping Up O! ePay Accounts on Coin Carts
The public can now use the top up service with O! ePay and Octopus cards for exchanging coins on coin carts, under the Coin Collection Programme of Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Click here to check the Coin Cart Schedule.
OCL Senior Executives Share Experience and Insights with Stakeholders
Thirty members of the Bank of China's senior management team in China visited OCL on 23 May, to learn of Octopus’ experience. Andy Yip, Head of International Business, and Adrian Tam, General Manager of Sales and Marketing, exchanged views with the team members, while also sharing Octopus’ story as the world’s first and most widely used electronic payment system, and ways the company innovates and evolves in tandem with market competition.
On another occasion, at the HKU SPACE Open Day on 2 June, CEO Sunny Cheung was one of the keynote forum speakers. He shared his insights with an audience of over 700 participants, on the development of mobile payments in Hong Kong and the challenges Hong Kong faces as it progresses towards becoming a smart city.
Citi and Octopus API Partnership Announced
Citi Announced Six Open Application Programming Interface Partnerships in Hong Kong, with Octopus as one of the partners. Our CEO, Sunny Cheung was one of the officiating guests at the launch ceremony.
OKN Academy Graduation Ceremony Ends on Fruitful and Happy Note
The graduation ceremony of Octopus Kids’ Nurturing (OKN) Academy of OKN Programme, jointly organised by OCL and St James’ Settlement (SJS), was held on 23 June. It was attended by over 200 students and their teachers, OCL management and volunteers, who celebrated the success of this year’s programme, with completion of all subsidised extra-curricular activities for grassroots students provided through five faculties – Music, Arts, Sports, Sustainability and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). During the ceremony, award-winning students received prizes from officiating guests Sunny Cheung, CEO of OCL, and Josephine Lee, CEO of SJS; and those with outstanding results were promoted to intermediate classes.
Another award presented during the ceremony was for the programme's Octopus Card Face Design Competition. The winner was Liu Dong Wei of Po On Commercial Association Wan Ho Kan Primary School. He believes environmental protection should start close by, and imagines that robots can assist in waste sorting, and recycling and reusing materials.
The ceremony was full of energy, with students giving performances such as a Chinese orchestra, hand chime, and the award-winning cheerleading team.
ORTSS Survey Results
The annual survey results of Octopus Rehabilitation Transportation Subsidy Scheme (ORTSS), jointly organised by OCL and the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, were announced on 25 April. The survey was conducted between January and March 2018, aiming for a detailed understanding of how the scheme is used, along with gathering feedback from scheme members.
There were 210 survey respondents. The vast majority (98 percent) agreed that ORTSS helps cater to their transportation needs, and 92 percent of respondents agreed that the scheme motivates them to go out. The respondents also rated the scheme 4.36 points out of five, which is 10 percent higher than the previous year, reflecting increased satisfaction with the scheme.
The members also commented that the scheme can help people in need and reduce their economic burdens, while enhancing their daily mobility and encouraging them to participate in social activities. They are happy to recommend the scheme to other qualified persons and join activities organised through it.
OCL Reaches Out via Social Media
A year ago, OCL reached out to our stakeholders directly via Facebook. This social media platform has since become an important channel for direct engagement with our customers and merchants. Users in Facebook can see updates on promotions or news about Octopus through our dedicated corporate fan page. Click here and Like the page to stay in touch.
OCL and Media Friends Celebrate Hong Kong Journalists Association’s 50th Anniversary
On 19 May, our CEO Sunny Cheung hosted a table at the Hong Kong Journalists Association’s 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner, and invited leading journalists from various media organisations along with key opinion leaders to join the special event as guests of OCL.
This exclusive event is a key annual media initiative of OCL, for engaging the media community in a casual and relaxed manner, to update them our business initiatives and enhance relationships between OCL and the media.
Inspiring Talk by Customer Service Expert
Quality customer service is one of OCL’s core values. On 11 May, OCL invited Ms Fion Ipp, Managing Director of AMOREPACIFIC Hong Kong, as the guest speaker to share with OCL’s employees the management philosophy and quality customer service of this company, which won the Gold Award of the HKMA Quality Award in 2015. Participants were enlightened by the inspiring talk.
