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When it comes to credit cards, HSBC is one of the most well-known and trusted brands in the market. With a wide range of options and features, HSBC credit cards are perfect for anyone looking for a quality card that will offer them excellent protection and rewards.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the reasons why HSBC credit cards are some of the best options available, and how you can benefit from using one of their cards. So whether you’re looking for a secured card that offers good protection against identity theft, or you want to maximize your rewards potential, HSBC cards are definitely worth checking out!

What makes HSBC credit cards the best in the market?

One of the many things that make HSBC credit cards the best in the market is their customer service. Their team is always available to help and can provide guidance on how to improve your credit score. Additionally, their card features are some of the best out there, such as travel insurance and fraud protection.

The different HSBC credit cards

If you’re looking for the best credit cards in the market, then you should definitely consider using a HSBC credit card. Not only are they some of the most reliable cards out there, but they also offer some great benefits and features that can make your finances much easier to manage. Here are four reasons why HSBC credit cards are some of the best options available:

1. The card is backed by a reputable financial institution – HSBC is one of the world’s leading banks, and this means that your money is safe and sound. Plus, their customer service is top-notch so if anything does go wrong with your card, you can be sure that they’ll be able to help you sort it out.

2. There are several different HSBC credit cards to choose from – if you’re looking for a card that offers specific benefits (like travel insurance or cashback rewards), then you’ll find exactly what you need on an HSBC card. Plus, their range of cards is extensive, so no matter what your financial needs might be, there’s likely to be a card that fits them perfectly.

3. The interest rates on HSBC credit cards are very low – in many cases, they’re lower

How HSBC credit cards work?

HSBC credit cards are some of the best credit cards in the market. They offer a variety of benefits and features, which makes them a great choice for consumers. Here are five reasons why you should consider using an HSBC credit card:

1. Low interest rates: One of the biggest benefits of using an HSBC credit card is the low interest rates that they offer. Many credit cards currently offer rates of around 9 percent, but HSBC credit cards offer rates as low as 2.99 percent. This means that you will save a lot of money over time if you use an HSBC credit card to borrow money.

2. Rewards program: Another great thing about HSBC credit cards is their rewards program. As a registered user, you can earn points which can be redeemed for rewards such as free flights or hotel rooms. This can be a great way to save money on your expenses or to get free travel rewards that you would not be able to get from other types of credit cards.

3. Easy to use website: One of the main benefits of using an HSBC credit card is the ease with which you can use their website. Their website is very user-friendly and easy to navigate, which makes it easy to find information

Pros and Cons of HSBC credit cards

HSBC credit cards are some of the best in the market because they offer a variety of benefits and features that make them a great option for consumers. Here are some of the pros and cons of this particular credit card lineup:

Pros of HSBC Credit Cards

-Low interest rates: Many HSBC credit cards offer low interest rates, which can be a great deal for consumers who are struggling to pay off their debts. For example, the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard offers an introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months.

-Extended warranty: Another great benefit of many HSBC credit cards is their extended warranty program. This program allows cardholders to purchase additional coverage up to $1 million in case of damage or theft during the original warranty period. This can be a lifesaver if something happens and the cardholder doesn’t have insurance coverage.

-Travel perks: Many HSBC credit cards also offer great travel perks, including discounts on hotels, flights, and car rentals, as well as complimentary access to airport lounges.

Cons of HSBC Credit Cards

-High annual fees: One downside of many HSBC credit cards is that they have high annual fees. For example,

Conclusion

If you’re looking for the best credit cards in the market, HSBC cards should definitely be at the top of your list. Not only do they offer great rewards and benefits, but they also have one of the lowest interest rates available. Plus, their customer service is excellent, so if there are any problems with your card or account, you’ll be able to get help quickly and efficiently.

Debt is a huge problem for many people, and it can be hard to get yourself out of debt. However, there are many ways that you can pay off your debt and get your credit card debt free. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to do this.

The Different Types of Debt

There are three main types of debt: consumer, student, and mortgage.
Consumer debt includes things like credit card bills, car loans, and mortgages. Student debt includes loans taken out to pay for school expenses, such as tuition, room and board, and books. Mortgage debt includes the loan you take out to buy a house or to finance a larger purchase.

The best way to reduce all types of debt is to have a plan. There are many different ways to pay off your debts, and it depends on your financial situation and what you want to achieve. You can choose one or more methods to reduce your debt, or you can use all of them at once. Here are some tips on how to reduce debt:

1) Save money. One way to reduce consumer debt is to save money. Try not to spend more than you earn, and don’t let debts get out of control. Start by setting realistic goals for how much money you want to save each month and then make a plan to reach those goals. If you have credit card debts, try using a balance transfer credit card that offers 0% interest for a period of time. This will help you pay down the principal

How to Get Your Credit Score?

Credit scores are an important part of your credit history. They can help you get approved for a loan, insurance, or a car. Your credit score is based on your payment history and debt levels. Here are five ways to improve your credit score:

1. Make on-time payments: This is the most important thing you can do to improve your credit score. If you can consistently make timely payments, your creditors will see that as a good sign and will give you a higher rating.

2. Pay off high-interest debt first: If you have high-interest debt, pay it off first. That will help improve your overall credit score because it shows that you’re able to handle higher-interest debt responsibly.

3. Limit new borrowing: Don’t take out any new loans in the near future if possible. That’ll help build better credit history and lower your overall debt burden.

4. Keep utilization low: Don’t use your cards too much or borrow too much money from them. That’ll damage your credit score.

5. Get a secured card: A secured card gives you a line of credit that’s attached to something else – like a mortgage or car loan – in case

How to Pay Off Debt?

Debt can feel like a mountain you just can’t seem to climb. But there are ways to get your debt free, and we’re here to show you how.

Some of the best methods for paying off debt include:

1. Cut back on spending. This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s important to actually stick to your budget if you want to get your debt free. Cutting back on your expenses will help you save money, which you can then use to pay off your debt more quickly.

2. Consolidate your debts into one payment. If you have several debts that are all due at the same time, consolidation could be a great way to reduce the amount of money you have to pay each month. You’ll likely still have to make contributions towards the consolidated debt, but it’ll be easier than dealing with multiple payments every month.

3. Apply for a loan or credit card offer. If all else fails, sometimes it’s worth considering refinancing or taking out a loan in order to get your debt paid off more quickly. However, make sure you do your research first and ask around for recommendations from friends and family members who

When is It Time to Refinance Debt?

It’s never too late to take the steps necessary to get your debt free. Here are some tips on when it’s time to refinance your debt:

If you’ve been using your credit card for everyday expenses and can’t pay off your balance each month, it’s time to start thinking about refinancing your debt. A refinancing will allow you to pay off your existing debt with a new, lower interest rate, which can save you money in the long run.

Another reason to consider refinancing is if you’re facing high interest rates on your current debt. If you can find a lower rate, refinancing can help you save money on both the original amount of the debt and on the interest that’s being charged each month.

There are a few things you need to know before refinancing your debt. Make sure to check out your current loan agreement and compare it against the rates available from different lenders. You may also want to consult with an expert financial advisor who can give you personalized advice on whether refinancing is right for you.

How to Pay Card Debt in Full

If you’re looking for a way to get your card debt paid off in full, there are a few different methods you can use. Here are the best ways to do it:

1. Consolidate Your Debt: One of the best ways to reduce your card debt is to consolidate all of your cards into one large monthly payment. This will help to lower your interest rates and make payments more manageable.

2. Pay Off Your Card in Full Each Month: Another strategy is to pay off your card in full each month. Doing this will save you money on interest and reduce the amount of time it takes to pay off your debt.

3. Use Advantages Wisely: One final tip is to use your card’s advantages wisely. For example, if you have a travel rewards card, use it regularly for travel expenses. This will help you earn more rewards and eventually pay off your debt faster.

Conclusion

This article has outlined some of the best ways to get your debt free, including paying off your credit card debt. It can be difficult to make the necessary changes in your financial life, but if you are determined to achieve debt-free status, following these tips will help get you on the right track. Do not hesitate to reach out for help if you find yourself struggling — there are people who are dedicated to helping others improve their finances. Thank you for reading and I hope that this article has helped you take the first steps in improving your overall financial wellness.

These are the rapid tests conducted by pricking a patient’s finger, instead of collecting a swab. They’re easier to administer, cheaper, and yield faster, albeit less accurate, results.

It doesn’t mean they’re easy to implement

In many places, like the city of Bandung—where several cases had surfaced—or in Bekasi—a satellite city on the outskirts of Jakarta—the original plan was to call citizens in for mass testing in open areas like sports stadiums. This was overthrown within days and replaced with a different model: where patients have to wait for a doctor to recommend a test and then visit a health centre, or they may be asked to do a test if they are identified as someone who was potentially exposed.

The West Java Province, which includes Bandung and Bekasi, led the way in mass rapid testing and has reportedly been able to identify and isolate several hotpots of the outbreak, which should slow the spread. Although the false-negatives problem associated with rapid tests could make this less effective. West Java has also been a pioneer in mapping the data it gathers about patients in observation and making it available to the public.

Screenshot of the Covid-19 hotspot map on the West Java Provincial Government website

In Jakarta, where the number of cases is highest, with a total of 2,335 confirmed cases as of 14 April, there’s been an effort to push for more rapid testing. There’s now a “drive through” option, where patients can arrange an appointment via an app, have their blood sample taken within minutes, and get test results via SMS.

Halodoc, a telemedicine app that also includes an on-demand medicine delivery service in collaboration with Gojek, was the first to introduce the drive through rapid test programme in Jakarta. “We have the blessing from the authorities to move ahead with this plan,” Jonathan Sudharta, Halodoc’s CEO, told us.

Halodoc, which connects patients who have been recommended for testing to its partner hospitals in Jakarta, is providing its drive through service for free till 17 April. However, the app doesn’t mention charges for when the free period ends.

Halodoc’s drive through rapid testing programme in Jakarta. Photo: Halodoc

What’s still lacking for now is a mechanism by which Halodoc and other providers of rapid tests report their data. There’s no unified reporting tool. Provinces like West Java have created their own. Patients who test positive for the antibody are recommended to self-isolate at home, and if their symptoms worsen, to check into one of the hospitals appointed by the government for a swab test.

“Once we’re given directives on [how to report our data] by the authorities, we’re willing to collaborate,” says Sudharta. “We chose not to wait [and] implement first.”

Can I get tested?

In other countries, rapid testing has been decried as unreliable and better suited to monitor patients after they’ve been confirmed Covid-positive through PCR.

Until then, though, as a stop-gap, the country is relying on rapid testing as the first line of action. Indonesia imported 500,000 rapid test kits in mid-March and has deployed tens of thousands at the city-level, with some success.

But they’re far from ideal.

Rapid tests, performed on blood samples, may be cheaper and easier to administer, but they also don’t check specifically for the Covid virus. They look for the existence of antibodies against it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently does not recommend using rapid tests as a first diagnostics tool, because a whole new set of risks is associated with them.

False negatives are likely: Someone diagnosed negative in a rapid antibody test may think of themselves as healthy and spread the virus before symptoms show up.
The data is hard to use effectively: At present, those who test positive in a rapid test do not factor into Indonesia’s overall score of confirmed Covid-19 cases. Should they? And what’s the course of treatment for those who test positive?
Despite the caveats, mass rapid testing is the best chance Indonesia has for now, while PCR test infrastructure gets scaled up. Besides, unlike PCR, which needs government sanction, rapid tests can be administered by private healthcare providers.

More labs, more staff, more kits

One of the big fears associated with rapid testing is false negatives, but not testing much at all increases the likelihood of cases being undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, putting more people at risk. Imagine patients being diagnosed with pneumonia, which is largely non-contagious, and carrying the highly-contagious Covid virus all along.

It is worth noting that Indonesia, of late, is seeing more deaths in general than is usual. The number of funerals in Jakarta in March saw a 40% spike compared to previous months.

This almost characteristically follows abysmally low Covid testing.

Time lost to bad samples

In February, when Covid-19 cases were already soaring elsewhere Indonesia reported zero. That may have been due to a faulty testing process. Media reports suggest that Indonesia wasn’t fully complying with WHO-guidelines about storing and transporting samples in a continuous cold chain.

In February, when cases in China and some other countries were already soaring, Indonesia had authorised all but one government-operated lab in Jakarta to test for Covid-19. After the first test came back positive on 2 March, this was extended to government-operated labs across Indonesia—of which the country has just over a dozen, at a population of close to 270 million—as well one private foundation in Jakarta.

Indonesia lags behind in its testing capacity compared to most of its neighboring countries, and it’s far behind India.

As of 8 April, the government, over a live-streamed press conference, claimed to have acquired 20 more machines that can conduct PCR tests. While two of the machines can conduct 1,000 tests a day, 18 can handle up to 500. From 13 April onwards, Indonesia expects to gradually increase capacity to between 5,000 and 10,000 tests a day.

 

Standard Chartered bank is a big fish that is, however, poised to enter the market. According to two banking industry executives, the British multinational intends to pair with Singaporean insurance provider NTUC Income and is in the midst of hashing out structural details for the bid. Standard Chartered neither confirmed nor denied that it is bidding for a licence in its response to questions from The Ken.

Payment and fintech startups would seem as logical bidders, but that isn’t the case. Revolut, one of Europe’s billion-dollar-valued fintech startups, did not partake in the bid despite launching its digital service in Singapore at the end of 2019. Nium, a Singapore-based cross-border payments provider, quietly dropped out months after being the first to go public with its intention to bid.

Prajit Nanu, Nium’s co-founder and CEO, admits that wholesome advice from his investors, who urged him to focus on high-growth markets, ultimately won over his early urge to snag a licence. “We spliced and diced models in multiple ways, but couldn’t see a five-year path,” says Nanu. “Unless you sink significant capital, it is not clear how you can gain traction.”

There is, though, potential for the digital banking pie to grow via innovation and diversification, according to Varun Mittal, global emerging markets fintech leader at professional services firm Ernst & Young.

“Besides staple banking services, Singapore’s new digital banks will likely venture into fields such as transport, food and beverage, entertainment and travel. And this would drive the need for varied partners in forming consortiums to bid for a digital bank licence”

VARUN MITTAL, GLOBAL EMERGING MARKETS FINTECH LEADER, ERNST & YOUNG

That explains the core theory by the joint bid from Grab and Singtel—a relative power couple that mixes the $14-billion ride-hailing startup with a more old-school tech player, a telco. This union could, for example, see Grab offer its customers and drivers financial products based on their spending on its platforms. That’s without even including data from Singtel and its use of Grab’s customer information.

Razer—which partnered with the likes of venture capital firm Insignia Ventures Partners and auto listings startup Carro—could, by the same token, offer gamers loans to buy its latest hardware based on their brand loyalty, or car buyers loans based on their credit history.

Profit over growth

There are, however, valid questions about the viability of the consortia, especially their staying power to tackle a long-term business like banking. “Will some of these companies still be the same or even be around in five years?” the previously quoted financial markets analyst ponders.

Tied to that concern is the need for applicants to be profitable. MAS has been clear that this is key to winning a licence, reiterating that break-even means turning a profit. This is an issue multiple consortia must address since some have members that remain loss-making. For instance, Sea and Razer are yet to turn a profit since going public in 2017, while Grab remains on a pathway to profitability despite claiming some of its units no longer lose money.

Gojek’s management team first hatched the plan following Uber’s exit from Southeast Asia, an investor with knowledge of the effort told us. However, nearly two years later, it remains incomplete. Gojek announced a $1.2 billion raise in May 2019, but the remainder has not yet been gathered. The company has struggled to convince investors of its $10-billion valuation target.

“Our fundraising remains on track and in line with expectations,” the Gojek spokesperson said. The company also rebuffed suggestions that it is open to a merger deal with Grab, as reported by The Information last month. “There are no plans for any sort of merger and recent media reports regarding discussions of this nature, are not accurate,” the spokesperson said.

New era of sustainability

Question marks around Gojek’s expansion could not come at a worse time for the company, given the global shift in focus from aggressive growth to profitability among startups and investors.

Gojek has to learn the ropes and gain market share in each new market. It also has to figure out how to stitch regional operations together, while keeping its spending in check. It may not have retreated from expansion posts, but Gojek has become acutely aware of its financial mortality and made cutbacks. In December, it confirmed it would shut down the majority of its GoLife services in Indonesia, including laundry, beauty and home services on-demand, due to an apparent lack of adoption.

It appears that Gojek is still saving much of its capital for Indonesia to quell Grab’s offensive. It shelled out $30 million to buy a 4.3% strategic stake in taxi operator Blue Bird, in a deal that offers a whopping 62% premium on its stock price. Gojek is also reportedly in talks to acquire Moka, a local point-of-sale startup. In food delivery, the battle for market share between Gojek and Grab has become so intense that the steep discounts they offer users have made food prices more affordable and kept Indonesia’s inflation low, according to a Bloomberg report .

The last remaining market in South

As the year continues, there’s likely to be greater pressure on Gojek’s international services if they continue to see middling performance. With Makarim departing the business, Gojek seems likely to reorganise and refocus on the fundamentals as a result of new leadership, particularly given that he was instrumental in setting many of those initiatives up in the first place.

The previously quoted technology executive suggests GoLife may not be the only service thought up by Makarim that is deemed expendable by co-CEOs Soelistyo and Kevin Aluwi. The two are long-time employees who were previously chairman and chief information officer, respectively.

Despite that, Gojek’s regional charge continues. In the Philippines, the company teamed up with a firm owned by Paulo Campos, who also serves as CEO of fashion e-commerce platform Zalora Philippines. The partnership was forged to fulfill the foreign ownership rules and qualify for an operating license to (potentially) finally launch transport services. Gojek hopes that will be “as soon as possible,” with the spokesperson saying the company is in discussions with the government.

 

Some see the Southeast Asia expansion itself as a boil-the-ocean strategy thought up by Nadiem Makarim, Gojek’s former CEO, who is now a government minister. (We wrote about Makarim’s exit from Gojek here .)

Devolution of powers

Gojek took an unusual approach to its expansion. It set up overseas operations that are run by local teams with Gojek Indonesia providing tech support. This strategy allows the interface of its local apps, their features, marketing and other facets of the business to vary from country to country. Grab, in contrast, operates one core app across Southeast Asia, although some features vary between countries

The expansion strategy may appeal to investors, but it is impractical, even harmful, to the company in reality, as catching Grab is both ambitious and costly, the technology executive mentioned above added. Indeed, it has been speculated that Gojek’s regional expansion could be as much about distracting Grab away from Indonesia as it is about landing in new territories.

However, it is unclear whether Gojek has made a dent in Grab’s monopoly in the Southeast Asia region. And the Indonesian company’s home base is also under fierce attack from its rival.

Grab has pledged to pour vast sums into Indonesia. The Singaporean company’s marquee investor, SoftBank, has palled up with the Indonesian government, while committing $2 billion towards developing national infrastructure. There are even suggestions SoftBank will help fund a new capital city.

Organised chaos across Southeast Asia

After stepping into Vietnam in August 2018, the company said its local Go-Viet business completed 100 million bookings in its first year. However, despite the bold claims, Go-Viet appears to be in a near-constant state of flux. It is currently in its third leadership cycle following a turnover of executives, which hints at instability and lack of coherent strategy.

Former Go-Viet chief executive Christy Le, who was earlier Facebook’s Vietnam head, resigned in September 2019 after just five months with the company. Her predecessor, Nguyen Vu Duc, had barely fared better, lasting only six months in the role.

Grab retains a dominant 72.9% share of the ride volume in Vietnam, according to a recent report by ABI Research. Go-Viet is pegged at 10.3%—just fractions ahead of local players Be and FastGo.

There are also reasons to be concerned about the management of country teams. In Vietnam, the entire annual marketing budget for the first year was exhausted after just three months, the previously quoted person said, indicating a lack of oversight.

In Thailand, the country Gojek entered following its expansion to Vietnam, there are signs that decisions are made in Indonesia. For example, GET initially worked with capital city Bangkok’s motorbike taxi driver fleets—known locally as Win bikes—despite the approach being costlier than developing its own fleet, an executive from the logistics industry told us. “A local leader wouldn’t do that,” the executive said. “This was a strategy set by Indonesia.”

Gojek has provided a limited window into the success of its service outside of Indonesia, but it does claim the following:

 

Customers in Australia also complained about the service—from double billing to slow speeds. Bad reviews on product sites significantly outnumbered the good. Tellingly, the source also revealed that subscriber numbers are low in Australia—there were just 25 customer activations in February 2020. Although numbers are said to be picking up, today, only three people are left from a team that was 25-strong—a marketing person, sent from Singapore; a single customer service representative; and the former general manager of Australia, who is now working on ad-hoc projects.

Ironically, Circles’ lack of a physical footprint—something it has long considered an advantage—may have hurt its overseas ventures. “Not having stores sometimes hurt its credibility and subscribers are not confident about the kind of service it can offer. [This can] Often result in slower growth in markets, or it will have to roll out aggressive promos like it did in Australia, with its four-month free offering,” said Batra. Circles doesn’t even sell its SIM cards at stores.

Circles’ Bengaluru centre, too, saw a similar fate.

Cuts and bruises

Bengaluru, which was supposed to be a centre to develop applications outside the telco business, saw a hiring surge in May 2019. “But over months, that really did not take off, I guess, and the office sort of became a back office for their Singapore operations,” said a former employee, who was laid off from the Bengaluru centre..

There was a management struggle, where local executives had no real power, said the person quoted earlier. Singapore was pulling the strings. Things started going downhill when Dhanush Hetti, the new chief technology officer, came onboard. The management made employees work extra hours despite knowing that these employees were not going to be part of Circles’ future plans, the person added.

The layoffs started all of a sudden in November 2019. “Before Diwali, there was a performance review, which was weird because we had one a few months back,” said the former employee. “They gave us more work during the process; we thought it was performance evaluation, but in fact, it was just extra work.”

A list of people were fired, purportedly over performance, the source said. While three employees still work out of Bengaluru, it’s all a charade to show that the centre is not completely shut, the former employee claimed.

Even in Singapore, its best performing market, employees were not spared.

While the company was on its expansion spree, Circles had also entered new sectors in Singapore, eventually getting trapped in its own concentric circles.

It launched its event discovery platform, Discover, in November 2018. The platform was the MVNO’s digital shot at moving beyond telephony, with artificial intelligence learning a user’s preference and recommending events they would be interested in. The plan was to eventually offer tickets that could be purchased directly on the app.

Rewards programme

The MVNO was also attempting credit and a rewards programme—Rides for Rewards, which was linked to the commuter payment system, EZ-Link. The programme offered points for every ride taken which could then be redeemed for rewards. Circles was also looking into building an e-wallet and issuing its own card for use, the person noted.

 

GoPlay also offers its content in a bundle with vouchers for GoFood, the food delivery service of Gojek. For IDR 99,000 (US$6.09), you get a one-month subscription of GoPlay and IDR 240,000-worth (US$14.76) of food vouchers. This means, if you’re a regular food delivery user, Gojek subsidises you with IDR 141,000 (US$8.67) to try out its video app. That’s worth five caffe lattes at Starbucks.

Launched in 2015, Gojek first made plans to get into the content creation and distribution business public in May 2018. It raised more than US$2 billion that year and became Indonesia’s highest-valued tech company, scratching the $10 billion mark.

Cancelled commitments

With its charismatic founder and CEO Nadiem Makarim still at the helm, Gojek wanted to inhabit all corners of Indonesians’ digital lives. Instead of merely forming the layer through which people ordered services or bought food, Gojek thought: why not get into concerts, sports events, and movies, and distribute them through its own channels?

But amidst this feverish pursuit, some projects floundered and struggled to find direction. GoPlay is one of them.

Some of those involved with GoPlay, either as former employees or partners, said that giving the outward impression of a growing content business in addition to Gojek’s other services helped with fundraising and justified skyrocketing valuations. However, they added that there wasn’t a full buy-in internally, at the shareholder level. Makarim has since left the firm and now serves as Indonesia’s Minister of Education and Culture.

The chaos left some filmmakers whom Gojek had agreed to support stranded. They had already begun working on projects and had even spent from their own pockets to get things started.

It’s a drama that will never make it into the GoPlay content library, but one that shows business processes can be messy, even at one of the brightest and best-equipped tech companies in the country.

The first cracks in Gojek’s newfound interest in film and entertainment began to show in the second half of 2018.

At a press conference in Jakarta in July that year, several smiling faces beamed down from a stage. There were Gojek representatives, and people from Indonesia’s documentary film scene. The creative economy agency, a government body, was also present.

Press conference to announce the Docs By The Sea Co-Production Fund in July 2018. Image: Indonesia’s Creative

Economy Agency (Bekraf)

The event marked the launch of the “Docs By The Sea Co-Production Fund”. Under this initiative, Gojek’s newly formed film production unit, Go-Studio, would co-finance 12 Indonesian documentary projects and mentor filmmakers. The aim was to obtain global distribution for these documentaries. In August, the films selected for this scheme were announced at an event in Bali.

However, Gojek pulled out of its commitment about three months after the announcement, according to Amelia Hapsari, head of Docs By The Sea. “I was told that Gojek was going through a massive restructuring,” she said. Gojek told her that the people spearheading the fund didn’t have an actual authorisation from the company to do so. Hence, their commitments weren’t valid.