What comes to mind when you hear Top Gun and Tom Cruise? What about aviator shades and Ray-Ban?

Whether you’re flying, driving or even walking to your next meeting, we aim to entice you to put on your sunny shades as you turn into this conversation as we speak to the parent company of Ray-Ban, EssilorLuxottica.

Speaking of EssilorLuxottica, the company was formed in 2018 by the combination of Italian frame manufacturer and luxury eyewear specialist Luxottica, as well as French optical lens producer Essilor in a deal worth 46 billion euros.

Fast forward to the present, EssilorLuxottica prides itself as a global leader in design, manufacture and distribution of lenses, frames and sunglasses, with over two centuries of experience behind the company. Its eyewear brands include Ray-Ban, Oakley, Costa, Vogue Eyewear and more.

EssilorLuxottica is an interesting company to look at for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is its long term partnership with Meta to develop smart eyewear technologies.

To this end, EssilorLuxottica had in April 2024 launched its second generation smart glasses with Meta, where users can engage in video calls with WhatApp and Messenger to share their views with others in real time. EssilorLuxottica also confirmed Meta’s interest to buy a stake in the company in July. But what are the opportunities when it comes down to wearable technology?

Meanwhile, EssilorLuxottica agreed to purchase Supreme for US$1.5 billion to move into the streetwear segment. It also bought a 5 per cent stake in camera maker Nikon Corporation – but where do these developments fit in the bigger picture for the eyewear maker?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Alessio Smiderle, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), APAC & Greater China, EssilorLuxottica.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supporting the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Singapore and beyond – that’s the agenda of our conversation as we speak to our guest CDG ENGIE.

Founded in 2021, CDG Engie, also known as ComfortDelGro ENGIE, is a joint venture between ComfortDelGro Engineering and ENGIE South East Asia, the regional subsidiary of French multinational utility company ENGIE Group.

The JV focuses on providing end to end solutions for customers in their transition towards sustainable and greener energy. So far, the company prides itself as a leading EV charging operator in Singapore with a network of over 2,700 charge points across Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

But why are we speaking to CDG ENGIE you might ask? Well, the firm is on the charm offensive to expand its network right now, having been awarded the first public EV charger deployment contract to deploy mainly fast EV charging points across 20 sites at primarily HDB commercial complexes in June 2024.

The firm also recently celebrated its third anniversary in October and operationalised its 1000th charge point located in Serangoon on the 16th November.

Beyond Singapore, CDG ENGIE is also said to have the largest cross-border roaming network in the region through strategic partnerships with industry players ChargeEV and Gentari.

To this end, a new mobile app has also been launched this year to allow users to plan ahead for road trips and calculate the necessary charging stops based on the specifications of their vehicles.

But what should we know about CDG ENGIE’s expansion plans? How does the firm navigate complexities in regional expansion given the different stages of electric vehicle adoption and infrastructure development?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Freddie Chew, General Manager, ComfortDelGro ENGIE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s back to the banking industry today as we speak to a Taiwanese bank set up nearly half a century ago.

Established back in 1975, our guest for today is Cathay United Bank, a subsidiary of Cathay Financial Holdings.

Cathay Financial Holdings, for context, is a financial conglomerate with businesses spanning insurance, asset management and brokerage, with its Chairman Tsai Hong-tu having a net worth of US$5.3 billion based on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Back to Cathay United Bank, the bank boasts 165 branches throughout Taiwan, placing it as one of the leading players in the island when it comes down to credit cards in force as well as transaction volumes.

Outside of its home market, Cathay United Bank has a presence in 67 overseas locations across mainland China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.

But what are we speaking to Cathay United Bank you might ask? Well, the bank is an interesting one to look at because it is now expanding its headcount in Singapore, as their clients double down on their operations and presence in the Southeast Asian region. But what should we know about its expansion plans here?

Meanwhile, Cathay United Bank had in May 2024 saw net income increasing 13 per cent on the year to over US$950 million in 2023. But how is its Singapore business faring thus far? Also – what will the focus areas be for the firm’s operations here in Singapore looking ahead?

On Under the Radar, Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Winfield Wong, CEO, Cathay United Bank (Singapore).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.