Media OutReach
ACES Awards 2025 Day One Celebrates Asia’s Leading Sustainability Champions in Bali
Winners’ efforts reaffirm that sustainability and business excellence are deeply interconnected
BALI, INDONESIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 November 2025 – The ACES Awards 2025 opened in Bali with a powerful first night dedicated to honouring Asia’s most credible and committed sustainability leaders.
With sustainability positioned as the cornerstone of this year’s programme, Day One of the Awards underscored the region’s rapid shift toward measurable, science-aligned, and transparent environmental and social practices.
“The 2025 Sustainability Award winners represent the strongest examples of responsible leadership in Asia today.
They have demonstrated discipline, transparency, and genuine long-term commitment to measurable environmental and social impact, said Dr Shanggari Balakrishnan, the CEO of MORS Group, organiser of the ACES Awards.
“Their efforts reaffirm that sustainability and business excellence are deeply interconnected, and we applaud their role in moving the region forward,” she added.
This year marked a historic milestone for the ACES Awards, which received 827 nominations from 32 countries, spanning more than 40 award categories.
Following 946 hours of evaluations by the ACES Council, 381 finalists were shortlisted, and 111 winners were recognised across the two-day ceremony.
Celebrating the 2025 Sustainability Winners
This year’s winners demonstrated strong governance systems, measurable reductions in carbon and waste intensity, large-scale circularity systems, water efficiency initiatives, biodiversity protection, and community development programmes.
Notable return winners include Maynilad Water Services, Inc., San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp., CEBU LANDMASTERS, INC., Takeda Healthcare Philippines, Inc., BDO Unibank, and Danone Specialized Nutrition SEA.
Top winners for Day One included:
- CPC Corporation, Taiwan – Top Sustainability Advocates in Asia (7th ACES win)
- Globe Telecom – Asia’s Best Workplace of the Year (7th ACES win)
- Development Bank of the Philippines – Top Community Centric Companies in Asia (3rd ACES win)
- Foundever Philippines Corporation – Top Workplaces & Community Centric Companies (5th ACES win)
- Henderson Land Development Company Limited – Asia’s Most Sustainable Company of the Year
ESG Pioneer Award
Highlight of the night included honouring one of Asia’s most respected voices in ESG transformation – Dr Jayanthi Desan, Co founder of BoomGrow and Advisor to ACES Council who was presented with the prestigious ESG Pioneer Award.
Recognised for pioneering a company which has brought together climate technology, sustainable innovation and commercial strategy, Dr Jayanthi’s relentless efforts proved that responsible growth and high performance can coexist.
A Benchmark for Responsible and Measurable Leadership
The Sustainability Category, a core pillar of the ACES framework, recognises corporations that demonstrate responsible, data-driven, and future-focused environmental and social leadership.
In 2025, the assessment criteria were strengthened to emphasise science-based targets, verification of measurable impact, circularity programmes, resource stewardship, and alignment to IFRS S1 and S2 sustainability disclosure standards.
With 147 companies shortlisted and 40 winners selected, the category recorded one of its most competitive years to date.
Judges highlighted that participating organisations demonstrated higher levels of reporting transparency, more robust carbon reduction pathways, and deeper long-term integration of sustainability into corporate planning.
Judging Insights: A New Era of Data-Driven Sustainability
The ACES Council evaluated submissions based on strategy clarity, governance strength, innovation, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-backed environmental and social outcomes.
A clear shift toward quantified impact, verifiable emissions pathways, and improved comparability of reporting was observed.
Companies also acknowledged the challenges of navigating multiple ESG frameworks.
However, the introduction of IFRS S1 and S2 has provided much-needed harmonisation, enhancing transparency and reporting efficiency across the region.
Winners distinguished themselves through authenticity, long-term resilience planning, transparent disclosures, and the ability to scale sustainability initiatives beyond compliance.
Setting the tone for ACES 2025
Day One of the Awards concluded with the conferral of the prestigious Visionary’s Gold Centaur, Maestro’s Onyx Centaur, and Virtuoso’s Black and Gold Centaur trophies, recognising companies with multi-year excellence.
The ceremony set a strong tone for Day Two, which spotlights Asia’s leadership and workplace champions.
Hashtag: #ACESAwards #MORSGroup #Sustainability #Leadership #ACES2025
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MORS Group | ACES Awards
About the ACES Awards
The Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability (ACES) Awards recognises outstanding leaders and organisations across Asia that demonstrate excellence in leadership, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. As a premier regional awards platform, ACES highlights companies and individuals that set industry benchmarks and contribute meaningfully to economic and social progress. Through its rigorous evaluation and broad regional reach, ACES continues to showcase best-in-class achievers shaping Asia’s corporate landscape.
About MORS Group
MORS Group is a regional business intelligence and advisory organisation committed to advancing leadership, sustainability, and corporate excellence in Asia. Through strategic platforms and recognition programmes—including the ACES Awards—MORS Group supports organisations in elevating performance, strengthening governance, and fostering long-term growth. Its work enables companies and leaders to connect, gain insights, and drive purposeful impact across the region.
GoTyme Bank becomes the first digital bank in the Philippines to enable Apple Pay, expanding secure and seamless digital payments for 10 million customers
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer processor, today announced the successful launch of Apple Pay for GoTyme Bank in the Philippines. Through this launch, GoTyme becomes one of the first issuers in the Philippine market to enable Apple Pay, giving 10 million customers an easy, secure and private way to pay using their Apple devices.
As one of the country’s fastest-growing digital banks, GoTyme continues to accelerate its digital payments strategy by expanding secure, seamless and convenient payment experiences for Filipino consumers. Customers can now securely add their GoTyme debit card to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments in stores, within apps and online wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
Apple Pay uses industry-leading tokenisation technology, meaning card numbers are never stored on devices or shared with merchants. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, with every transaction authenticated through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, providing an additional layer of security while delivering a fast, frictionless checkout experience.
Nate Clark, President and CEO at GoTyme Bank commented: “At GoTyme Bank, we’re constantly looking for ways to make banking simpler, safer and more rewarding for our customers. Bringing Apple Pay to GoTyme Bank customers in the Philippines gives them an easy and secure way to pay wherever they shop while continuing to earn rewards points on all their transactions. This is another step in our commitment to making everyday banking more beautiful and convenient for our customers.
The launch comes as digital payments continue to reshape the Philippine economy. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), digital payments now account for more than half of all retail payment transactions, as consumers increasingly embrace mobile-first banking and contactless payments. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to rise, supporting growing demand for digital wallets and tokenised payment experiences. As digital commerce accelerates, enabling secure mobile payments through services such as Apple Pay is becoming an increasingly important differentiator for financial institutions.
Minh-Ha Truong, Head of Growth, APAC at Paymentology, added: “As a long-standing partner to GoTyme, we’re proud to support another significant milestone in its growth journey. Bringing Apple Pay to market demonstrates how modern, cloud-native issuer processing enables digital banks to rapidly deliver innovative payment experiences while maintaining the highest standards of security, scalability and performance. Together, we’re helping shape the future of digital payments in the Philippines.”
The launch further strengthens GoTyme’s position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital banks and highlights the value of Paymentology’s cloud-native issuer processing platform in helping banks and fintechs rapidly introduce innovative payment capabilities that meet evolving customer expectations.
Hashtag: #Paymentology
https://www.paymentology.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/paymentology/
https://x.com/Paymentology
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Media OutReach
New Documentary Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun From Discovery to Debut on August 20 in Southeast Asia
Set against the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Taiwan, Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun highlights how the people of Liugdui have thrived alongside the land for over 300 years. Following local scholars, farmers, and artisans, the documentary explores how this community adapts its deep-rooted traditions—from water stewardship to food heritage—in response to environmental and economic change, offering vital modern insights on sustainability, rural revitalization, and cultural continuity.
Across three episodes—Water, agriculture, and food—the documentary explores how the people of Liugdui blend tradition with modern innovation. Viewers meet groundwater experts, farmers pioneering sustainable crops, and artisans repurposing local materials like betel nut, alongside culinary practitioners who preserve Hakka identity through ancestral rituals, communal feasts, and family traditions that unite generations.
Audiences will discover a community that views tradition not as something fixed in the past, but as a living legacy that continues to evolve. From innovative groundwater management and botanical dyeing to ritual feasts and modern interpretations of Hakka cuisine – the documentary celebrates the creativity, resilience, and values that have sustained Liugdui for centuries.
Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun premieres in Southeast Asia on Discovery Channel, Thursday, August 20 at 7:10pm; TLC Channel, Monday, August 24 at 7:10pm; and Discovery Asia, Tuesday, August 25 at 9:25pm.
Hashtag: #Discovery
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About Discovery Channel
The launch press conference broke away from tradition with a vibrant runway show featuring celebrity “Hot Spring Travel Navigators,” including acclaimed chef Edward Lee from Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, visual identity creative director Yen Po-Chun, TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE Taiwan Chairman Kazuma Otsuka, and actor-host Andrew Chau. Together with local businesses, they showcased regional agriculture, specialties, and lifestyle products.
The official launch celebration kicks off on September 4 at Guguan Park in Taichung, featuring a themed parade with over 500 participants and the lighting ceremony for the Lishan–Guguan Light Art Festival, which stars a massive eight-meter “OhBear” light installation. The festivities continue on September 5 with a guided tribal trekking tour in Guguan, offering participants an exclusive NT$500 accommodation discount.
To promote four-season wellness tourism globally, the campaign partners with the East Asia Hot Spring Association for an international symposium on September 4. Key promotions also include complimentary LINE POINTS for new followers, curated packages starting at NT$299, and a flash sale of 800 limited NT$1 Hot Spring Vouchers for the Double 11 Shopping Festival. Furthermore, cross-sector collaborations offer half-price entry to national forest areas, limited-edition Taiwan Railway bento boxes, and Guanziling mud spring skincare products to enrich the travel experience.Hashtag: #TaiwanFourSeasonSprings
https://www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw/zh-tw/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
