Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/212250
42 Events maltatoday, Sunday, 17 November 2013 HSBC Merchant Services launches dynamic currency conversion A new card payments service for visitors Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) is a convenient service provided by HSBC Merchant Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Payments Inc., that allows international cardholders the choice to pay for goods and services in either their home currency or in euro via the Point of Sale (POS) terminals. Holders of international Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards can now be offered a new option of payment which allows for easier administration of personal accounts and smoother purchasing. DCC is a pure win-win situation for cardholders and merchants alike. There are no hidden DCC charges and it is easy to use. While travelling in a foreign country, customers faced with a different Free Wi-Fi for Melita mobile subscribers Melita has started rolling out a next generation outdoor Wi-Fi network across Malta and Gozo. The service will extend the company's superior home internet experience to many key outdoor locations. As of Monday, 18 November, more than 20,000 Melita mobile customers will benefit from free high-speed Wi-Fi access in seven key outdoor Wi-Fi zones and at some 30,000 indoor Wi-Fi spots. Following the successful technology trial which started last year, Melita has partnered with leading networking provider CISCO to roll-out the Wi-Fi service across Malta and Gozo. During this trial phase, all Melita mobile contract subscribers with a data plan will also benefit from 10 Gigabytes of free high speed Wi-Fi per month. Connecting is very simple. The service works just like your Wi-Fi at home or office. The first time you're in a WiFi coverage zone, connect to the network called 'melitaWIFI'. Enter your MyMelita username and password and you will be ready to browse with high speed internet. Just like at home, the next time you're in a melitaWIFI coverage area, you won't need to reenter your username and password – your device will automatically connect to the free Wi-Fi. "Melita believes that Wi-Fi is a very good and affordable way to let customers easily enjoy fast wireless internet wherever they are. People love Wi-Fi, and look out for Wi-Fi. Melita's Wi-Fi spots give them access to 10 Gigabytes of free and fast wireless internet. Most importantly, with Wi-Fi customers do not need the latest or most expensive phones to get access to very fast mobile internet. Any device with Wi-Fi access can make use of melitaWIFI," commented Ludolf Rasterhoff, COO at Melita. The first key outdoor locations to have Wi-Fi access will be The Strand in Sliema (From Black Gold bar to Nazzarenu church), Paceville (From St George's Bay up to the main nightlife area), Paola square, Mosta square, the Marsascala seafront, Bugibba square, Marsaxlokk sea front and some 30,000 indoor Wi-Fi spots spread across Malta and Gozo. More areas will continuously be added to melitaWIFI as the roll-out progresses. For more information about melitaWIFI visit www.melita.com/WIFI currency to their own have to wait for their monthly statement to find out the relevant rate of exchange and amount charged. This conversion rate, together with any other additional bank charges, could surprise the cardholder when faced with their statement after their travels. With DCC, international cardholders now have the ability to choose to pay in the local currency or in the currency of their card. The rate of exchange is not an arbitrary one – HSBC Merchant Services will provide a daily rate from Reuters. When a POS terminal is DCCenabled it immediately prompts the merchant that a payment card with a DCC-supported foreign currency was detected. Merchants can then offer the cardholder the choice to pay in their card's currency or in euro. Euro remains the default currency in any transaction and, if cardholders choose the currency of their card, the euro amount remains visible on the receipt. The service will initially be available in 8 different currencies including GBP, RUB, NOK, SEK, DKK, USD, AUD and CHF. Merchants are bound to inform their customers about the currency options available and all of the usual safeguards for card transactions will remain in place whenever the cardholder opts for DCC. DCC will be highly appreciated by Merchants here in Malta. Not only will they be offering greater customer service to their customers, but they will benefit from additional revenue by offering this service. International cardholders now have the choice to pay for goods and services in their home currency or in euro via POS terminals GO Teatru Unplugged at Teatru Manoel GO plc is sponsoring Teatru Unplugged. This annual series of concerts now in its 16th edition will take place at Teatru Manoel on 6, 7 and 8 December. Compered by Josef Bonello, the Maltese musical talent being showcased this year includes; Stalko, Chris Grech, Gianluca, Red Electrick, The Crowns, Rachel Fabri and Raquela. Teatru Unplugged was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Shaw and the late Nirvana Azzopardi and has become an annual highlight among music lovers and theatre goers. Markus Golder, Chief Commercial Officer at GO, said: "GO is committed to supporting Maltese musicians so joining forces with the organisers of such a high status event makes perfect sense. Teatru Unplugged has a strong following and every year attracts new audiences to Teatru Manoel. GO has no doubt that this year's concerts will once again help to boost all of the talented musicians and singers who are taking part." The line up of artists at this year's Teatru Unplugged will once again take the audience on a journey of From left - Teatru Unplugged co-founder, Jonathan Shaw and GO Chief Commercial Officer, Markus Golder during the presentation of GO's financial sponsorship of the 16th edition of Teatru Unplugged at Teatru Manoel in Valletta rock, pop, and classic tunes. The audience will be entertained by the likes of Stalko presenting rich and delicate vocals; the rocking voices of Chris Grech and the retro feel good vibe synonymous with Gianluca. Red Electrick, known for their vibrant live performances and the pop/rock band The Crowns will also feature in this year's edition. Two impeccable female voices, namely Rachel Fabri and Raquela will also perform. Teatru Unplugged co-founder, Jonathan Shaw, said, "The show must go on and through Teatru Unplugged we will keep Nirvana's memory alive. Once again we have a line-up of artists who represent so much of what is great in the music scene in Malta. Organising Teatru Unplugged requires a lot of hard work and we're thankful that in companies like GO we find partners who understand what we are trying to achieve and offer real support." Teatru Unplugged will take place on 6, 7, and 8 December 2013 at Teatru Manoel. Tickets at €20, €15 and €10 can be obtained from http://booking.teatrumanoel.com.mt/. Early booking is recommended Maltese firm targets dental tourism Company benefits from financing under the BOV JEREMIE Financing Programme The Savina Dental & Implantology Centre in Malta used money raised through the BOV JEREMIE Financing Package to invest in the latest equipment – Cone Beam CT Scan, Cerec AC digital milled porcelain scanning equipment, KTP surgical laser and SpectroShade digital shade-taking for optimum aesthetics. The BOV JEREMIE financing programme has enabled the Gozitan firm expand its operations from the original Savina Clinic established in Gozo in 1985 to a new state-of-the-art clinic in Malta which will give it the opportunity to promote dental tourism. The clinic is located at Skyparks Business Centre, Malta International Airport. "The investment in our operations places Malta on the international map in the area of dental tourism. This is clearly the way forward to increase the value added and niche marketing of Malta by blending tourism and health care together," Savina principal Joseph Xuereb said. Joanna Drake, Director within the European Commission Directorate General Enterprise and Industry underlined "the commitment of the European Commission to facilitate access to affordable finance for SME's in the forthcoming 2014-2020 EU Budget." Martin Bugelli, Head of the European Commission Representation in Malta, stressed "the importance on the adoption of a communication strategy that brings the message to the end users thereby clearly highlighting the benefits of EU financial instruments that improve the access to finance". Savina Clinic is a complete dental and oral health centre, catering for local and foreign residents and visiting patients from all over Europe. In addition to having professionally-trained staff, the clinic also offers the services of visiting consultants in the various dentistry specialities. The state-of-the-art clinic caters for all patients' dental requirements from routine care and preventive dentistry, through restoration, treatment of gum disease and aesthetic dentistry, to full reha- bilitation using the latest materials and techniques. These include tooth-coloured fillings, inlays, porcelain crowns and veneers, precision attachment-retained partial dentures, conventional crown and bridgework, and implants. Noel Scerri, Executive Head Business Generation and EU Affairs at Bank of Valletta said "the BOV's JEREMIE Financing Package helps Maltese and Gozitan SMEs to get access to finance. This Financing Package offers advantageous interest rates and reduced collateral requirements. All types of SMEs can benefit from the scheme including micro-enterprises. In fact, the Bank recently launched an additional €11.6 million following the initial allocation of €51.04 millions in the last two years".