Listed IPVG Corp. wants to take the country’s booming business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry to a whole new level by exploring other aspects of this sector.

With its acquisition of majority shares in a joint venture with top Indian financial solutions firm Credence Analytics, IPVG is exploring the potential of the knowledge-process outsourcing industry (KPO) in India.

KPO firms provide clients in the banking and finance industry with financial solutions, data-mining, trust and risk-management solutions and other vital support and intelligence services.

The IPVG-Credence Analytics joint venture, called Verity Analytics, puts IPVG’s presence in eight English-speaking countries. IPVG owns 60 percent of the company, while Credence retains 40 percent. It will be based in Mumbai although the company plans to transplant the technology, expertise and methodology of the KPO industry to the Philippines by next year.

Verity Analytics, once it opens its Philippine offices in 2009, will be looking for highly skilled, extremely competent, competitive and highly educated work force here who have MBA degrees, strong data analysis skills and excellent spoken and written English.

To facilitate the growth in the Philippines of their KPO work force, IPVG’s strategy includes bringing 50 Indian practitioners to the country to transfer technology and training.

IPVG Corp. CEO Enrique Y. Gonzales said his firm’s $1-million investment in this joint venture “is in line with our strategic expansion into KPO and expanding our delivery capabilities into India, the recognized leader in KPO services.”

Contact centers normally charge $15,000 to $20,000 per head in their billings and employ an average staff complement of 3,000 workers. KPO centers, on the other hand, may have only 500 workers, but are able to charge clients up to $40,000 per worker.

Because the KPO industry provides higher-value services to clients and, therefore, requires higher levels of education and work-skill sets, Gonzales said this venture will position IPVG to “climb up the value chain into higher-margin and higher-value work.”

Credence Analytics director C.K. Gurupassad said the partnership will involve “knowledge transfer” to replicate India’s KPO industry in the Philippine setting to “service Philippine and regional [Southeast Asian] customers” as well as clients in the United States, Europe and Australia.

JOLLIBEE Foods Corp. (JFC) will pursue its planned expansion to India.

In a chance interview Wednesday, chairman and president Tony Tan Caktiong said the company is keen on acquiring a fast-food chain in that country which offers either Chinese or Indian cuisine.

IPVG explores new BPO variant with joint-venture deal

Listed IPVG Corp. wants to take the country’s booming business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry to a whole new level by exploring other aspects of this sector.

PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is likely to post a 50-percent growth in the number of subscribers registered to its wireless landline service.

THE weak investment environment has put a dent on the first-quarter profit of listed National Reinsurance Corp. of the Philippines (PhilNaRe) as it reported a 37-percent drop in net income to P110 million from P174 million in the same period a year ago.

As of March 31, 2008, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) owned 3.95 million shares, or 0.125 percent, in San Miguel Corp. (SMC). Its ownership consisted of 1.674 million common A shares and 2.276 million common B shares.