Jumio's Cutting-edge Liveness Detection Guarantees Users Are Real, Not A Spoof

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Jumio, an automated, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven identity verification, risk signals and compliance solutions provider, has unveiled Jumio Liveness, an enhanced, in-house technology designed to address increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics at Money20/20 USA.

This cutting-edge solution expands beyond traditional presentation attacks, such as paper or screen copies, and employs sophisticated AI models to block advanced threats like injection attacks and deepfakes.

Its Chief Product and Technology Officer, Bala Kumar said Jumio Liveness is designed to address the growing sophistication of fraud tactics while keeping the user experience simple.

“Our goal is to help businesses stay ahead of threats like deepfakes and ensure that legitimate users can securely access services without added complexity,” he said in a statement.

Jumio Liveness takes fraud detection to the next level by checking if more than one person is present throughout the selfie-capture process or if someone is being forced to undergo the identity verification process.

It also prevents the registration of unconscious individuals, such as those who are sleeping. These measures help ensure that only genuine, consenting users are able to access services, dramatically reducing fraud risks.

Jumio has established a comprehensive multi-layer defense strategy to tackle a wide range of attack types, both current and emerging. By combining liveness detection, AI-driven fraud detection, and anti-spoofing technologies, its system is designed to defend against existing threats while staying agile enough to address future attacks.

This robust strategy is backed by an expansive patent portfolio spanning nearly 100 unique patent families and ensures that businesses using the company’s services remain protected in an ever-evolving fraud landscape.

In addition, Jumio has mechanisms in place to constantly monitor for anomalies and suspicious activities. These systems continuously review daily traffic to identify new attack vectors as they emerge.

Any new insights are fed directly into the AI model’s training pipeline, creating a real-time feedback loop that enables Jumio’s technology to adapt rapidly, ensuring that its defense mechanisms remain updated and highly effective against evolving and sophisticated threats.

-- BERNAMA

Alcon In The Public Eye, Winning Best Employers In Singapore Once Again

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, has been named one of the ‘Best Employers in Singapore’ for the second consecutive year in addition to its recognition in 2021.

This prestigious recognition underscores Alcon’s unwavering commitment to building a strong culture of excellence where all associates can bring their best to work, according to a statement.

“At Alcon Singapore, we have invested in creating valuable experiences for our associates through various development and culture building programmes, growth opportunities and engagement with wider enterprise initiatives.

“We believe that these valuable experiences at work have helped to strengthen our connection to Alcon and our purpose of helping people see brilliantly,” said Alcon Asia Pacific Head of Human Resources, Preneet Bindra.

In this year’s survey, Alcon also achieved second place in the ‘Health Care Equipment & Services’ industry category compared to third place in 2023, and this accolade comes from a comprehensive survey conducted by The Straits Times, Singapore’s leading daily newspaper.

Meanwhile, the ‘Best Employers’ study evaluates companies via a large-scale survey in which associates participate anonymously that includes questions about the willingness to recommend their own company to friends or family (direct recommendation) and the willingness to recommend other companies within the same industry (indirect recommendation).

Alcon Singapore, which received high scores in this year’s evaluation, believes that its purpose of helping people see brilliantly is best activated when people can be their true, authentic selves. As such, Alcon regularly conducts the ‘Associate Experience Dashboard (AED)’ to gather associates’ opinions and suggestions about the work environment.

The company is specifically committed to providing associates with valuable experiences by expanding engagement opportunities across three key areas, namely Diversity & Inclusion, Social Impact and Sustainability (SIS), and Talent Development.

Alcon Singapore actively promotes inclusive collaboration and communication through cultural events and associate-led sports programmes, which strengthen bonds and cooperation across functions, whereas under the SIS strategy, it participates annually in the global social impact activity ‘Alcon in Action’, a global day of volunteering.

-- BERNAMA

AM Best To Present APAC Benchmarking Study, Mock Rating Committee At Singapore Conference

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best announced it will host Insurance Market Briefing - Singapore International Reinsurance Conference (SIRC) to explore the state of the Asia Pacific (APAC) (re)insurance markets on Nov 5, as part of the 20th annual SIRC event.

Taking place at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, senior analytical leaders from AM Best’s APAC offices will provide (re)insurance market insight during the market briefing.

Discussion topics will include benchmarking analysis of rated APAC (re)insurers and a live mock rating committee presentation to give attendees a better understanding of the drivers behind rating decisions.

In a statement, AM Best said its market development team for APAC will also be attending SIRC.

The credit rating agency also will host a networking reception to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Singapore operations, which coincides with AM Best’s 125th anniversary.

Organised by the Singapore Reinsurers’ Association, SIRC is one of the leading annual global reinsurance industry events, with this year’s event running from Nov 4 to 7 and is themed as “Revolutionize (Re)Insurance!”.

AM Best is a contributing broadcast partner to the event, and AM Best TV will provide coverage of the conference.

-- BERNAMA

ELVINA LIOW PROMOTED TO LEAD WATCHTOWR’S OPERATIONS ACROSS APAC

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Cybersecurity company, watchTowr announced the promotion of Elvina Liow to vice president (VP) of Asia Pacific (APAC).

In her new role, Liow will assume full responsibility for the company’s business in the APAC region, scaling operations and driving the company’s mission to redefine and lead the external attack surface management market globally.

According to watchTowr in a statement, her leadership will be critical to continuing the company's hyper-growth and strengthening its presence in the region.

“Elvina has been pivotal to watchTowr’s continued success and a key driver of our success in the region. Her leadership has been instrumental in expanding watchTowr’s commercial footprint and deepening both customer and partner relationships.

“Her deep understanding of both the cybersecurity landscape and our customers’ evolving needs makes her the ideal person to lead our APAC business as we continue our rapid growth and global expansion,” said its chief executive officer and founder, Benjamin Harris.

Meanwhile, Liow said: “The APAC region has been a core foundation of the business, paving the success of our global expansion. The team has delivered impressive results, building a great client network and strong partnerships in the region.

“Our mission to help organisations continuously validate and strengthen their security postures is more important than ever, and I look forward to deepening our presence and driving significant growth across the region.”

Liow’s promotion follows watchTowr’s recent US$19 million Series A funding round, which will further accelerate its growth plans by expanding its go-to-market, research, and engineering teams. (US$1=RM4.34)

She joined watchTowr in 2022 as an account director, following over a decade of experience in senior sales, product management, and business development roles at industry leaders such as NTT and F-Secure.

Liow quickly grew her career at watchTowr, earning a promotion to head of Commercial within a year and assuming the role of VP of Commercial in February this year, becoming part of watchTowr’s extended leadership team.

-- BERNAMA

THREDD RELEASES EXPERT GUIDE FOR U.S. ISSUANCE VIA BIN SPONSORSHIP

Developed for new market entrants, the 22-page report provides important facts and expert insights to inform a journey to the American payments sector.

LONDON, Oct 23 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Thredd, a leading next-generation global payments processor, today released “Launching in America. A guide to issuing via BIN sponsorship.” a complimentary report for programme managers and fintechs considering expansion into the American payments market.

Filled with important facts and expert insights into the challenges and requirements faced by foreign entities, the guide is a must-have for global payments executives and any organisation considering bringing their payments-related value proposition to the U.S.

“Entering the U.S. payments market can be challenging. Having successfully helped our clients make the journey, we've created this guide to share some of the key facts and learnings,” said Jim McCarthy, CEO of Thredd. "Passporting programmes into the U.S. is complex, but with a well-considered plan, forward-thinking organisations can rapidly expand their business.”

Contents of the guide include:

· Why the American market?
· Current regulatory and business climate
· Key parties and their roles
· Requirements and due diligence
· Evaluating and being evaluated by BIN sponsors
· Definitions, checklists and regulatory primers
· Go to market
· Takeaways
 

To download a free copy of the guide, visit https://bit.ly/Launching-in-America. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=49592

JUMIO NAMED A LEADER IN THE 2024 GARTNER® MAGIC QUADRANT™ FOR IDENTITY VERIFICATION

 

(Graphic: Business Wire)

Jumio recognized based on its Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Jumio, the leading provider of automated, AI-driven identity verification, risk signals and compliance solutions, has been recognized as a Leader in the first-ever 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Identity Verification¹, published on October 21, 2024.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241024542853/en/

Jumio was named a Leader among other identity verification vendors, and the evaluation was based on specific criteria that analyzed the company’s overall Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute.

As defined in the Magic Quadrant, “Leaders deliver a broad and comprehensive IDV product that addresses a wide range of use cases and customer needs. They have successfully built a significant installed customer base and revenue stream. Leaders demonstrate a superior vision that goes beyond simply doing more of the same at a larger scale. They also demonstrate strong execution to bring that vision to fruition. They anticipate IDV requirements and in some ways help shape the market.”

This inaugural Gartner Magic Quadrant for Identity Verification replaces the Gartner Market Guide for Identity Verification, which repeatedly recognized Jumio as a Representative Vendor. Gartner produced this Magic Quadrant in response to identity verification market conditions.

“Gartner has observed that the number of vendors in the IDV market continues to grow, and is currently tracking over 100 vendors. While the core IDV process offered by them all is seemingly similar, there are many differences between vendors,” the report states.

“As the identity verification market continues to expand, it can become increasingly challenging for modern enterprises to sort through endless offerings to find an innovative solution to suit their needs,” said Anna Convery, Jumio CMO. “To be named a Leader in the first-ever Magic Quadrant is an honor and we believe this demonstrates that Jumio’s end-to-end approach to establishing and maintaining trust resonates with the market.”

The Jumio Platform is an end-to-end solution that verifies the identities of new and existing users, fights fraud and helps modern enterprises meet compliance mandates. With over 1 billion transactions processed worldwide, supporting 5,000+ types of ID documents across more than 200 countries and territories, Jumio leads the industry in global coverage.

To read the entire 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Identity Verification, click here.

¹Source: 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Identity Verification, Akif Khan, James Hoover, Nayara Sangiorgio, 21 October 2024.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Jumio

Jumio helps organizations to know and trust their customers online. From account opening to ongoing monitoring, the Jumio Platform provides advanced identity verification, risk signals and compliance solutions that help you accurately establish, maintain and reassert trust.

Leveraging powerful technology including automation, biometrics, AI/machine learning, liveness detection and no-code orchestration with hundreds of data sources, Jumio helps you fight fraud and financial crime, onboard good customers faster and meet regulatory compliance including KYC and AML. Jumio has processed more than 1 billion transactions spanning over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions.

Based in Sunnyvale, Jumio operates globally with offices and representation in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and has been the recipient of numerous awards for innovation. Jumio is backed by Centana Growth Partners, Great Hill Partners and Millennium Technology Value Partners.

For more information, please visit www.jumio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241024542853/en/

Contact

U.S. Media Contact
Allison Knight
10Fold Communications
jumio@10fold.com
806-570-9819

Europe Media Contact
Harriet King
FleishmanHillard UK
harriet.king@fleishman.com
+44 7765673794

APAC Media Contact
Luke Nazir
FINN Partners
Luke.Nazir@finnpartners.com
+65 8139 2504

Source : Jumio

--BERNAMA

Paratus Sciences CEO To Speak On Panel At Boston Meeting

 KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- Paratus Sciences Corporation announced its chief executive officer (CEO), Theresa Heah, will participate in a panel discussion at the Longwood Healthcare Leaders CEO meeting being held in Boston, Massachusetts from Oct 28 to 29.

In a statement, Paratus Sciences said Heah has been invited to participate on a four-person panel, ‘Accelerating the Translation of Science into Medicine’, moderated by ProFound Therapeutics CEO, John Lepore which is scheduled on Oct 28.

Longwood Healthcare Leaders meetings bring together the top biotech and pharma CEOs, research and development (R&D) heads, healthcare academics, and life science investors.

The meetings are designed to facilitate off-the-record discussions that promote transparency and collaboration among participants.

The ultimate goal of these discussions is to accelerate the translation of discoveries into effective medicines that can improve patient outcomes.

Headquartered in New York, Paratus Sciences is a biotechnology company accelerating the discovery of novel therapeutics by leveraging the extraordinary adaptive biology of bats.

-- BERNAMA

Black & Veatch Serves As Owner's Engineer For Combined Cycle Power Plant In Sarawak

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Black & Veatch, a global leader in critical infrastructure solutions, has been chosen as the owner’s engineer for PETROS Power Sdn Bhd’s (PETROS Power) Miri Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (Miri CCGT) Power Plant in Sarawak, Malaysia.

The Miri CCGT Power Plant will be a lower-emission alternative to coal-fired power plants, which is expected to have a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and is intended to supply power to the Sarawak State Grid.

The power plant contributes to the Sarawak Gas Roadmap, which is critical to achieving Sarawak’s goal of doubling its economy by 2030, according to a statement.

“Black & Veatch's knowledge of international and country-specific engineering codes and standards, and contract structures helps to systematically mitigate project cost and schedule risks to ensure project execution certainty.

“By bridging the gap between different engineering standards, Black & Veatch offers progressive clients, like PETROS Power, assurance that the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor delivers on project commitments cost effectively,” said its president, Asia Pacific and India, Narsingh Chaudhary.

Black & Veatch will provide technical expertise, knowledge and technology transfer, and support for engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC) contract management and administration.

The company has extensive experience in designing and constructing combined cycle power plants for diverse settings, including new sites, expansions to existing steam electric generating stations, and conversions of existing simple cycle peaking combustion turbines to combined cycle operation.

-- BERNAMA

Kodansha’s App K MANGA Branches Into Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Kodansha Ltd, one of Japan’s major publishers with hit manga titles such as Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Blue Lock, and GACHIAKUTA, has launched its official manga app “K MANGA” in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The app is now available on iOS and Android platforms, offering over 500 titles in English, including 100 ongoing manga series across a variety of genres that are updated simultaneously with their release in Japan.

To commemorate the launch, Kodansha said in a statement that five hugely popular titles will be discounted by 50 per cent for a limited time.

Kodansha’s overseas manga sales have surged in recent years, driven largely by the success of titles like Attack on Titan and Tokyo Revengers, reflecting the growing popularity and acceptance of Japanese manga among English-speaking readers.

K MANGA was launched in the United States last May, marking the service’s first expansion into other markets.

Kodansha is striving to further increase accessibility for English-speaking fans, delivering the latest stories as quickly as possible.

Additionally, the company intends to continue expanding into new regions as part of its goal to establish K MANGA as a worldwide platform that connects fans with their favourite works and creators with their audiences.

-- BERNAMA

QUANTEXA RECOGNIZED AS CATEGORY LEADER IN THE RISKTECH QUADRANT® FOR KYC SOLUTIONS

Quantexa earned a top ranking in the RiskTech100® 2025 Report, highlighting its strength and innovation in the expanding risk technology and compliance market


LONDON, Oct 22 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quantexa, a leading provider of Decision Intelligence solutions for public and private sectors, today announced it has received recognition in two Chartis Research reports. Quantexa was named a category leader in the RiskTech Quadrant^® for KYC Solutions and ranked among the top 20 in the RiskTech100^® 2025 Report, highlighting its market presence, innovation, and leadership in risk and compliance. Chartis possesses exceptional deep technology proficiency, which it leverages to create leading vendor landscape reports in financial risk. This solidifies its authority to evaluate the premier AI and data analytics platforms that help financial institutions navigate the current risk environment.

Quantexa's status as a Category Leader for KYC Solutions highlights its effective technology for future risk management, demonstrating its natural language processing capabilities and perpetual KYC (pKYC) monitoring. The recognition underscores how its offering has evolved while retaining its foundation of high-quality entity resolution and complex corporate structures.

“Quantexa continues to expand and enhance its solution, while retaining its core strengths in entity resolution and complex corporate structures,” said Ahmad Kataf, Senior Research Specialist at Chartis. “It has also enhanced its natural language processing capabilities and perpetual KYC/continuous monitoring – a development that, combined with strong growth, is reflected in its category leader position in our KYC Solutions quadrant.”

Quantexa was also recognized for its risk technology in the RiskTech100^® 2025 Report, showcasing consistent improvement and innovation in overall risk technology capabilities. More specifically, the report highlighted Quantexa’s dominance in finance and government operations with strong scores for its ‘core technology’ and ‘innovation’, underscoring its commitment to developing cutting-edge risk solutions.

“Quantexa’s move into the RiskTech100 top 20 reflects several factors,” said Sid Dash, Chief Researcher at Chartis. “Notably, its strong domain knowledge in the key areas of finance and government operations (including tax) is underpinned by a robust core platform.”

Alexon Bell, Chief Product Officer (FinCrime) at Quantexa, said, "Being recognized as a leader in the Chartis RiskTech Quadrant for KYC solutions underscores Quantexa's commitment to addressing the evolving challenges in the KYC landscape. Our approach goes beyond traditional KYC processes, focusing on creating unified, perpetual customer records (pKYC) that provide a comprehensive view across multiple touchpoints. By leveraging advanced analytics and AI, we're able to help financial institutions not only streamline their onboarding processes but also enhance their ongoing risk assessment capabilities."

"We are excited to be recognized by Chartis Research in these two important reports," said Roshni Patel, Global Head of Risk Solutions at Quantexa. "Our ranking in the RiskTech100^® and our position as a leader in KYC solutions validate our commitment to innovation and excellence in decision intelligence. These achievements reflect the hard work of our team and the value we bring to our clients in managing risk and compliance."

This recognition comes soon after Quantexa was credited as a Category Leader in the RiskTech Quadrant^® for Enterprise Fraud Solutions in Chartis Research’s Enterprise and Payment Fraud Solutions, 2024 Market Update and Vendor Landscape report and one of the top vendors in the inaugural Chartis RiskTechAI 50 2024 ranking and research report in September. These four Chartis reports demonstrate Quantexa’s leading position across several industry capabilities.

To learn more about Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence Platform or advanced KYC and Risk technology solutions, visit here.

About Quantexa 
Quantexa is a global AI, data and analytics software company pioneering Decision Intelligence to empower organizations to make trusted operational decisions with data in context. Using the latest advancements in AI, Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence platform helps organizations uncover hidden risk and new opportunities by unifying siloed data and turning it into the most trusted, reusable resource. It solves major challenges across data management, customer intelligence, KYC, financial crime, risk, fraud, and security, throughout the customer lifecycle.  
  
The Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform enhances operational performance with over 90% more accuracy and 60 times faster analytical model resolution than traditional approaches. An independently commissioned Forrester TEI study on Quantexa's Decision Intelligence Platform found that customers saw a three-year 228% ROI. Founded in 2016, Quantexa now has over 800 employees and thousands of platform users working with billions of transactions and data points across the world. 

Media Inquiries
C: Stephanie Crisp, Fight or Flight
E: Quantexa@fightorflight.com

OR

C: Adam Jaffe, SVP of Corporate Marketing
T : +1 609 502 6889
E : adamjaffe@quantexa.com 


SOURCE : Quantexa Limited

Kioxia SSD With Flexible Data Placement Demonstrates Improvements In Lifespan, Performance

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Kioxia Corporation is showcasing and demonstrating the benefits of a KIOXIA XD Series SSD equipped with Flexible Data Placement (FDP) functionality running the RocksDB database at the 2024 OCP Global Summit, taking place from Oct 15 to 17 in San Jose, United States of America.

The RocksDB database excels in high-performance searches through vast amounts of data and managing history data, and is widely used in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and cloud applications.

FDP is a feature defined in the NVM Express Technical Proposal TP4146 that allows flexible control of data placement within a solid-state drive (SSD), according to a statement.

By appropriately managing data placement within the SSD, while minimising changes to host software and device drivers, FDP optimisation can enhance performance and extend the lifespan of the SSD.

SSDs follow instructions from host software and device drivers for data storage and erasure. As this process is repeated, data reallocation may occur within the SSD, potentially leading to reduced access speed and unnecessary consumption of flash memory write cycles, especially when data reallocation occurs frequently.

Leveraging FDP can help mitigate potential data reallocation, maximising the performance and lifespan of the SSD.

The demonstration at OCP Global Summit shows FDP functionality in a KIOXIA XD Series Data Center NVMe SSD and a Kioxia developed plugin, a small programme that extends functionality in an application enabling FDP capability, and tested with RocksDB.

Thorough testing and evaluation have resulted in approximately three times the lifespan improvement and approximately 1.8 times the performance for the RocksDB application in an FDP-enabled system, compared to a traditional system utilising conventional SSDs and file system.

-- BERNAMA

InvestCloud Redefines FirstCape’s Wealth Management Via Multi-phase Digital Transformation

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- InvestCloud, a global leader in wealth technology, has been selected by FirstCape, New Zealand’s wealth advice and asset management firm, to transform the wealth management experience it delivers for advisors and their clients.

A comprehensive multi-phased digital transformation journey, this technology-forward initiative is geared to redefine how FirstCape delivers financial services, focusing on boosting advisor efficiency and offering a single platform for client engagement, experience, and compliant advice at scale.

InvestCloud President of Digital Wealth International, Christine Mar Ciriani said the company is thrilled to see the tangible success of its partnership with FirstCape as they embark on this modular digital transformation.

“By leveraging our full suite of innovative front-office solutions, we are helping FirstCape create a robust digital backbone that will drive their growth, streamline advisor efficiency, and elevate client experiences,” she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, FirstCape Chief Executive Officer, Malcolm Jackson said FirstCape was formed with a stated intention of enhancing its client offering, and integrating InvestCloud’s tools that streamline portfolio management and order execution is part of delivering on that promise.

FirstCape was formed earlier this year through the consolidation of JBWere NZ, Jarden Wealth, Harbour Asset Management, and BNZ Investment Services to create the premier wealth management advisory and asset management firm serving clients in New Zealand.

The first phase of FirstCape’s digital transformation was the implementation of InvestCloud’s Portfolio Manager and Order Capture solutions for Jarden Wealth, in which these key components establish the foundation for an enhanced, fully integrated platform that empowers advisors and improves the client and advisor experience.

With Portfolio Manager, financial advisors are able to monitor and manage client portfolios with deeper insights, allowing for tailored investment proposals. By streamlining the process, advisors can deliver more accurate and compliant advice at scale, all while maintaining a personalised approach for each client.

Meanwhile, boosting operational efficiency, Order Capture offers a seamless interface for trading across various asset classes and allows advisors to act faster and focus more on client needs, resulting in a more dynamic, responsive wealth management experience.

Future phases of the transformation will introduce enhanced Client & Advisor Experiences and Client Lifecycle Management & Onboarding solutions, offering a fully integrated, scalable platform that will strengthen client engagement.

-- BERNAMA

XSOLLA AND IT PARK UZBEKISTAN SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO FOSTER GAME DEVELOPMENT IN UZBEKISTAN

 

Partnership to Launch Game Development Academy & to Create New Industry Jobs by 2030

LOS ANGELES, Oct 16 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, and IT Park Uzbekistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance the gaming industry in Uzbekistan. This MOU formalizes the collaboration between the two organizations and establishes a path toward launching the Xsolla IT Park Academy in 2025. The academy aims to train local talent and create new opportunities for game production & development within Uzbekistan’s growing industry.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015326353/en/

 

The signing ceremony occurred at Xsolla's headquarters in Los Angeles, attended by Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, Executive Director of IT Park Uzbekistan, Jahongir Kagirov, Head of IT & Service Exports at IT Park, and Dmitri Burkovskiy, Xsolla’s Chief Investment Officer.

This partnership builds upon Xsolla’s strategy to bring game development education to Central Asia and the Middle East following the opening of the Xsolla Curine Academy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in April of this year. Xsolla aims to create the Xsolla Global Academy with local education hubs for students, game developers, and rising industry stars to learn from key industry mentors and experts and further develop their game ideas directly in their region.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=49525

​WORLDLINE AND FINBOTSAI TEAM UP TO PUT AI CREDIT MODELLING IN THE HANDS OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

SINGAPORE, Oct 15 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The collaboration will bring an AI-powered solution to help financial institutions level up their lending business through a no-code SaaS model that puts the ownership of credit modelling in the hands of Worldline’s clients of all sizes globally. The FinbotsAI solution will enable financial institutions to develop & deploy credit scorecards with powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that are embedded across the value chain; from data to decisioning, for both individual and business lending.

CreditX blends the best of traditional and AI/ML modelling enabling credit risk modelers to quantum-build scorecards that are based on the modeler’s choice of data and parameters. The human-centered AI design enables credit modelers to develop scorecards rapidly, leveraging AI to enhance the accuracy of each scorecard, all at a fraction of today’s costs.

Sanjay Uppal, CEO & Founder of FinbotsAI - “We are delighted to partner with Worldline, a global payments leader, to take our AI innovation to the world. Backed by over six years of research and accreditation from Singapore regulators Monetary Authority of Singapore and Infocomm Media Development Authority towards building trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, CreditX’s human-centered design enables lenders to confidently harness the power of AI in their transformation journey.”

Noel Chow, CEO & COO of Worldline Financial Services, APAC - "We are excited about our partnership with FinbotsAI. We believe that our collaboration will help our clients to enhance their credit assessment processes and capitalize on new opportunities.”

About Worldline

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] helps businesses of all shapes and sizes to accelerate their growth journey – quickly, simply, and securely. With advanced payments technology, local expertise and solutions customised for hundreds of markets and industries, Worldline powers the growth of over one million businesses around the world. Worldline generated a 4.6 billion euros revenue in 2023. worldline.com

About FinbotsAI

Founded in 2017, FinbotsAI, an Accel portfolio fintech, is on a mission to help financial institutions drive profitable lending and financial inclusion with CreditX, its SaaS solution that uses artificial intelligence across the credit value chain - from data to decision. FinbotsAI counts among its clients' banks, digital banks, SME lenders, consumer lenders, Credit Bureaus and other financial institutions across markets. FinbotsAI was recently awarded “Product Innovation of the Year – Best Fintech” at the IFC Global SME Finance Forum 2024.

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241013848130/en/ 

Contact

Media Contact :  Nimika Bhatnagar  (+91 77589 01968) / nimika.bhatnagar@adfactorspr.com

Source : FinbotsAI

--BERNAMA

BLUESCOPE’S ASEAN AWARD TO HONOUR REGIONAL EXCELLENCE IN STEEL ARCHITECTURE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- NS BlueScope announced the 2024 BlueScope Steel Architectural Awards ASEAN is now open to projects harnessing the company’s steel in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Entrants are accepted in Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Institutional building sectors, while there is an additional category of ‘Long Lasting Beauty of COLORBOND’ which celebrates projects that have used BlueScope’s COLORBOND steel to weather all conditions to maintain their beauty and strength.

NS BlueScope Chief Executive, Connell Zhang said the company aimed to create and inspire smart solutions in steel, and its new awards programme is a great opportunity to showcase some of the very best architectural projects in this region.

“As well as setting industry benchmarks and promoting best practice, these awards are a great way to encourage knowledge sharing and support our vibrant ASEAN architect community.

“As the industry leader in premium coated and painted steel, BlueScope is in a unique position to support the architectural community in bringing their dream designs to life,” he said in a statement.

The 2024 BlueScope Steel Architectural Awards ASEAN are backed by several respected organisations, including The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage; Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia; the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City; the Australian Chamber of Commerce Singapore; and Malaysia’s ACG Media Group.

Award entries will be judged on their Design Excellence, Innovation and Sustainability, whereby judges will assess multiple areas of building design, from aesthetic merit to functionality and efficiency, among others.

Judging for the ASEAN Award winners takes place in October, with the winners announced in November.

-- BERNAMA

FreedomPay-Stripe Partnership To Facilitate Businesses Unify Commerce

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce technologies has partnered Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, to make it easier for enterprises to unify commerce.

According to FreedomPay, the partnership makes it possible for virtually any enterprise to use Stripe for online and in-person payments alongside their existing commerce tools.

“Many of the largest businesses in the world already use FreedomPay and they have been telling us they would love to see Stripe join our growing ecosystem of connectivity.

“We are excited that our merchants can now modernise their systems and grow their revenue with Stripe,” said FreedomPay President, Chris Kronenthal in a statement.

FreedomPay aggregates hundreds of different point of sale (POS) systems and dozens of payment devices and commerce integrations onto a single platform.

Meanwhile, Stripe helps businesses process payments online and in person; offers advanced fraud protection powered by machine learning; optimises authorisation requests for issuers to boost revenue; and maintains industry-leading reliability.

Together, FreedomPay and Stripe will provide enterprises with flexibility and modularity, the ability to add Stripe to an existing set of commerce tools, without requiring significant development resources.

With this partnership, enterprises including hotels, retailers, and food & beverage providers, can now take advantage of Stripe’s platform, including those that already use FreedomPay.

Furthermore, in one place, they will be able to manage payments, loyalty programmes, and customer analytics, among others.

-- BERNAMA

‘CHA CHAAN TENG’ DEBUT IN PARIS TO FURTHER CEMENTS HONG KONG AS ASIA’S ARTS AND CULTURE HUB

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced its presentation of a Hong Kong-style café, a “Cha Chaan Teng”, at Art Basel Paris from Oct 16 to 20 at the Grand Palais, inviting Hong Kong-based artist Trevor Yeung to illuminate the classic diner with his light artistry.

This marks the first activation in its pioneering three-year global partnership with the world class art fair, following the initial announcement in Basel this June, according to HKTB in a statement.

HKTB Executive Director, Dane Cheng said this collaboration underscores its commitment to promoting Hong Kong as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, and the art hub in Asia.

“By sharing the city’s unique character through this immersive experience at the inaugural edition of the three-year partnership at Grand Palais, we hope to inspire travellers to visit our city and discover its thriving creative community and rich cultural experiences,” he said.

HKTB will bring an authentic Cha Chaan Teng experience to Art Basel Paris, a dining format harking back to the 1950s known for its bustling ambiance and eclectic menus of comfort food merging Eastern and Western cultures.

This vibrant gathering space in the heart of Grand Palais will introduce international audiences to the city’s unique culture by showcasing diverse culinary flavours, artistic excellence, and dynamic social atmosphere.

Yeung has created a new artwork especially for the Cha Chaan Teng, which is his next instalment of a well-known series titled Chaotic Suns featuring chandelier-like illuminated artworks, last seen at the 24th Biennale of Sydney in 2024, where he uses the gradient of light to bring the classic Cha Chaan Teng to life.

The positioning of a Hong Kong-style café in the locality of Paris encapsulates Hong Kong’s intrinsic ‘East-meets-West’ culture, presenting a sensory journey to visitors by serving the city delicacies including pineapple buns, egg tarts, milk tea, and mango pudding.

The space will also feature classic design elements such as nostalgic colourful patterned floor tiles and cosy booths, as well as Hong Kong’s signature neon signage.

The collaboration between Art Basel and HKTB fortifies Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s arts and culture hub, hosting flagship art events such as Art Basel, the fair’s only destination in Asia.

-- BERNAMA

OPENGEAR’S ADVANCED SOLUTIONS UNTANGLE IT MANAGEMENT COMPLEXITY

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Opengear, a Digi International company, has introduced two new advanced offerings that will simplify initial setup with zero-touch provisioning and ensure access to information technology (IT) infrastructure.

Opengear unveiled key enhancements for its Network Resilience Platform with the advanced solutions, namely Connected Resource Gateway (CRG) and Lighthouse Service Portal (LSP).

According to Opengear in a statement, the solutions dramatically reduce complexity and provide efficiency to IT organisations that are under vast pressure due to increasing demands to deliver results with fewer resources.

“Opengear is committed to delivering solutions that solve real-world challenges. Customers rely on Opengear's solution before their network is operational, when it is unavailable and for everyday IT operations.

“LSP provides zero-touch provisioning for Opengear appliances and CRG ensures immediate, reliable, and secure access to essential tasks when managing IT infrastructure,” said its Vice President of Product Management & Strategy, Douglas Wadkins.

Both CRG and LSP simplify the deployment process while providing ease of access, improved security, and simplified management when monitoring and managing IT infrastructure.

Available via the company’s Lighthouse software solution, CRG now enables IT professionals and networking tools to securely access connected IT resources through a web interface offering serial or Internet Protocol (IP)-based connectivity options.

Meanwhile, designed to simplify the deployment of data centre and edge site network infrastructure, LSP streamlines the provisioning of Opengear devices into the Lighthouse software.

Available through the Opengear customer portal and in conjunction with Lighthouse, LSP simplifies and secures the enrollment process, providing a smoother, more efficient starting point for IT management.

-- BERNAMA

H2O.AI AND SINGTEL DIGITAL INFRACO'S RE:AI FORGE PARTNERSHIP TO DELIVER GENERATIVE AI-AS-A-SERVICE

Brings together one of Asia’s leading digital infrastructure providers with the world’s leading Generative and Predictive AI to spur economic growth


HIGHLIGHTS:
 

• H2O.ai and Singtel Digital InfraCo’s RE:AI partner to bring sovereign AI for private, protected data.
• H2O.ai full stack AI software to be offered as a service on Singtel Digital InfraCo’s AI Cloud to reduce time to develop AI applications for public sector and commercial enterprise customers.
• The combined AI- and GPU-as-a-Service will offer customers a full stack cost-effective AI platform as a service bundled with powerful and state of the art GPU infrastructure from Singtel AI cloud, for Generative and Predictive AI to address a wide range of robust Document AI business use cases.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct 10 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- H2O.ai, the leader in open-source Generative AI and the most accurate Predictive AI platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Singtel’s Digital InfraCo to bring Generative AI-as-a-Service (GenAIaaS) to organizations across APAC. This partnership brings together H2O.ai's best-in-class Generative and Predictive AI with Singtel AI cloud’s powerful and secure GPU infrastructure to deliver a sovereign GenAI platform for private and public sector organizations with strict data protection needs.

H2O.ai Generative AI software suite will be integrated with Singtel’s Paragon platform that powers Singtel AI Cloud, to enable customers to reduce time to develop and deploy AI use cases with optimal total cost of ownership (TCO). Customers can skip the complexity and risk of building their own RAG and benefit from a robust, built-in enterprise multimodal agentic RAG through Enterprise h2oGPTe offered as an AI service on Singtel’s AI cloud powered by Singtel Paragon platform.

Singtel, an existing customer of H2O.ai, is expanding to offer H2O.ai full stack AI service to be integrated with Singtel Paragon platform to offer an “AI as a service” offering on Singtel GPU cloud. The unified AI as a Service solution that bundles the needed GPU infrastructure will offer customers a cost-efficient full stack AI platform for Generative and Predictive AI to address a wide range of robust Document AI business use cases.

Every nation needs to be an AI nation. Public servants and ministries worldwide need their sovereign AI agencies to fulfill their missions with great outcomes. To address both local and continental needs, nations must find economical ways to take AI from pilots to production.

AI will transform the GDP of the world and every nation and community by amplifying the economic output of the population with AI agents. With the right AI infrastructure, nations of any size can leverage AI to create significant growth and transform their economies.

Public servants and all ministries worldwide need their own GPTs and sovereign AI to fulfill their missions with great outcomes and serve their people and communities.

Our partnership with RE:AI represents the future of Generative AI—purpose-led, SLMs on protected data, open source, secure, hybrid and ubiquitous on the edge at a fraction of the economic cost for training and inference.

“H2O.ai is home to the world’s best AI talent with more Kaggle Grandmasters than any company or continent. With our open source community, partnership ecosystem and unique mindset of co-creation with customers we are transforming large banks, telcos and public sector by leveraging their data, upskilling their people, and building custom GenAI and Predictive AI for solving problems and bettering life of citizens globally,” says Sri Ambati, Founder and CEO of H2O.ai.

“As organizations move toward AI-driven solutions, our partnership with H2O.ai ensures that they have access to state-of-the-art Generative AI solutions developed on RE:AI’s cloud platform. Together, we’re enabling businesses to innovate faster, enhance customer experiences, and optimize internal operations with the power of AI,” says Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel Digital InfraCo.

In addition to the SingtelGPT products, H2O.ai has developed the H2O Danube3 series of small language models (SLMs), specifically designed for on-device, offline use cases. Trained on 100 H100 GPUs using a proprietary dataset of 6 trillion tokens, Danube3-4B and 0.5B models outperform Apple’s OpenELM-3B and 0.5B instruct models in key benchmarks. These open-weight SLMs offer developers economical options for fine-tuning their own AI applications. H2O.ai plans to release a series of multimodal SLMs in the coming weeks to further expand its AI offerings.

This collaboration between H2O.ai and Digital InfraCo marks a major step forward in bringing secure, scalable Generative AI-as-a-Service to organizations across APAC while ensuring data sovereignty and compliance.

About H2O.ai

Founded in 2012, H2O.ai is at the forefront of the AI movement to democratize Generative AI. H2O.ai’s open-source Generative AI and Enterprise h2oGPT, combined with Document AI and the award-winning autoML Driverless AI, have transformed more than 20,000 global organizations and over half of the Fortune 500, including AT&T, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Chipotle, ADP, Workday, Progressive Insurance, and AES. H2O.ai’s AI for Good program supports nonprofit groups, foundations, and communities in advancing education, healthcare, and environmental conservation. With a vibrant community of 2 million data scientists worldwide, H2O.ai is on a mission to co-create AI applications that are valuable to all users.

H2O.ai has fundraised $256 million from investors including Commonwealth Bank, Nvidia, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Nexus Ventures and New York Life.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241009327124/en/

Contact

Media
Betty Candel
VP Marketing
betty.candel@h2o.ai

Source : H2O.ai

Curia Makes Significant Strides In Net Zero Pledges

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Curia announced its commitment to set near- and long-term company-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in line with science-based net zero with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

According to Curia in a statement, to achieve this goal, the company will be investing resources over the next two years to evaluate and develop GHG emission reduction targets for submission to and approval by the SBTi.

“Our targets are ambitious, but we recognise the urgency and importance of cutting emissions in the near-term. With facilities in the United States, Europe and Asia, our actions can have a significant effect on communities on a global scale.

“Environmental stewardship has long been a priority for Curia, and this pledge underscores our commitment to continuous improvement in reducing our environmental impact and bringing us closer to a more sustainable future,” said its chief executive officer, Philip Macnabb.

The net-zero commitment is another step forward for Curia’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programme, a cross-functional team that advances the company’s environmental and social stewardship with sound corporate governance.

Its ESG programme links with the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) management system, modelled after ISO 14001 and 45001, the global standards for environmental management systems and occupational health and safety management systems.

Curia’s EHS management system is grounded on eight key pillars that serve as the framework to deliver measurable improvements year-over-year, and sustainability is one key pillar within that framework that underlies the net-zero commitment.

With this commitment, Curia also joins the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign, a global coalition of non-state actors working toward halving global emissions by 2030.

Curia is a contract research, development and manufacturing organisation, with over 30 years of experience, an integrated network of over 20 global sites and 3,500 employees partnering with biopharmaceutical customers to bring life-changing therapies to market.

-- BERNAMA

SINGAPORE RETAINS TOP SPOT FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION GLOBALLY - RESEARCH

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Singapore is once again the world’s most financially inclusive market for the third year in a row, among 41 markets analysed, as measured by Principal Financial Group's third edition of the Global Financial Inclusion Index.

With Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, and Sweden following closely behind, the research ranks markets based on the support provided by employers, the government, and the financial system to foster financial inclusion.

It provides a comprehensive and comparative evaluation of financial inclusion on a global scale, ranking 41 markets on a relative basis in addition to an absolute score assigned at the global and regional levels.

Principal chairman and chief executive officer, Dan Houston in a statement said it has been a challenging year with inflation outpacing wage growth, interest rate hikes, and ongoing market uncertainty.

“As it became harder for businesses and households to access lending, we have seen how governments and the private sector have stepped up to help societies weather these economic conditions. This has led to levels of financial inclusion continuing to increase around the world,” he said.

Key findings from the research also unveiled that financial inclusion has improved globally for the second consecutive year, with all regions and subregions seeing improvements, especially in Latin America.

In addition, the Asia-Pacific region increased its number of top-performing markets with Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, and Australia all secured spots in the top 10 this year.

Furthermore, employers in young Asian economies have stepped up to help consumers and businesses weather local market economic challenges by supporting households through short-term periods of financial strain.

The research also stated that the United States’ financial inclusion score remains unchanged year over year, suggesting a show of resilience in the face of economic headwinds. However, the market now ranks outside the top five, falling from fourth to seventh.

Conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and Principal, the research ranks 41 markets on three pillars of financial inclusion, namely government, financial system, and employer support, using data points across public and survey-based sources.

-- BERNAMA

Curia's Refreshed Brand Features Key Capabilities, Personalised Approach Across Service Offerings

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Curia, a contract research, development and manufacturing organisation, has unveiled its refreshed brand highlighting key capabilities and a personalised approach across small molecules, generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and biologics.

“Curia has decades of experience in this industry, and we have continually broadened our capabilities to meet the needs of our customers.

“Our new brand identity clearly communicates not just our offerings, but the unique level of expertise and collaboration we bring as we work to noble purpose to improve patients’ lives,” said Curia Chief Executive Officer, Philip Macnabb in a statement.

This brand update underscores Curia’s role as a dedicated ally to its clients, leveraging over 30 years of industry experience and a robust global presence to accelerate product timelines by addressing both simple and complex challenges across drug discovery, development and manufacturing.

Under the brand refresh, Curia has established brand logos for each of its three key service offerings across small molecules, generic APIs and biologics, in which this new hierarchy of service logos clearly communicates the company’s robust portfolio of services and solutions.

The company has also revamped its website, whereby the evolved design improves the user experience for clients and prospects seeking best-in-class contract development and manufacturing services in small molecules, generic APIs, biologics, analytical services and sterile fill-finish.

Curia began as AMRI more than 30 years ago with a focus on small molecules, and over time, expanded to offer a blend of global resources and scientific expertise. It was rebranded as Curia in 2021 and broadened its capabilities to include biologics with the acquisition of LakePharma and Integrity Bio.

-- BERNAMA

Recursion Obtains FDA Approval For AI-Discovered Cancer Treatment Clinical Trial

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Recursion announced the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared an investigational new drug (IND) application for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of REC-1245, a new chemical entity for the treatment of biomarker-enriched solid tumours and lymphoma.

According to Recursion in a statement, the Phase 1/2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and potential monotherapy efficacy of REC-1245, and is expected to initiate in the fourth quarter of this year.

Its Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Gibson said: "In under 18 months, leveraging some of our newer chemistry tools, Recursion rapidly progressed REC-1245 from novel target biology to preclinical drug candidate, more than twice the speed of industry average.”

Recursion identified the novel regulatory role of RBM39 associated with CDK12 using its maps of biology and first reported this relationship in early 2023 during Recursion’s research and development (R&D) and investor event, Download Day.

The company believes the modulation of RBM39 may be associated with a therapeutic effect in certain biomarker-enriched solid tumours and lymphoma.

Meanwhile, its Chief R&D Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, Dr Najat Khan explained that RBM39 degraders may offer a promising therapeutic approach for patients with solid tumours, particularly those with limited treatment options.

“This mechanism provides new opportunities for targeting tumours, which are often resistant to conventional treatments. By advancing this research, we aim to deliver a critical option for patients facing significant unmet needs, ultimately improving their prognosis and quality of life,” she added.

Additionally, Recursion estimates that the initially addressable population for this potential therapeutic to be more than 100,000 patients in the US and European Union Five (EU5), collectively, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

REC-1245 is a potent and selective RBM39 degrader with a potential first-in-class profile. Preclinical data support that RBM39 degradation induces splicing defects that downregulate DNA Damage Response (DDR) networks and cell cycle checkpoints.

-- BERNAMA

Study Finds 100 Pct Singapore's Marketers, Agencies Confronted With Data Challenges

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Lotame, the global technology company that makes customer data smarter, faster, and easier to use for digital marketers, revealed in its new report that 100 per cent of marketers and agencies surveyed in Singapore encounter barriers in data orchestration and utilisation.

Fielded by Cint, its report ‘The State of Data Collaboration: A Global Perspective’ found that data challenges are ubiquitous, as is planned investment in marketing and data technology, with data collaboration platforms delivering multiple tangible benefits.

In a statement, Lotame Chief Executive Officer, Andy Monfried said orchestrating and activating data remains a major struggle for marketers and agencies, both inside and outside their organisations, but they are finally overcoming this barrier through a combination of technology and a shift in mindset.

The findings from the survey also showed that 78 per cent of respondents recognise the urgency of leveraging first-party data, which is eight per cent higher than the global average.

In addition, more than half (53 per cent) of marketers and a quarter of agencies are fully reliant on third-party cookies, and yet a portfolio approach to identity solutions has emerged, with an average of 3.1 options used in tandem to maximise reach with no clear frontrunner.

Furthermore, 34 per cent of respondents anticipate a reduction in programmatic spend compared to 28 per cent expecting an increase, though agencies are twice as optimistic as marketers.

Meanwhile, 99 per cent of respondents plan to adopt new marketing technologies and data technologies, with around a third of agencies and marketers not planning on retiring any of their current technologies in the near future.

The study highlighted that clean room adoption is strong, with three in five respondents currently using the technology. Respondents also, however, report a range of challenges, from lack of data overlap to ID scale and required expertise, with an average of 2.3 challenges reported.

Despite being a relatively new technology, data collaboration platforms have been adopted by almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of marketers and a third of agencies, with an average of 2.3 positive changes to marketing operations.

Lotame commissioned industry research into how marketers and agencies are addressing data challenges and opportunities in a post-cookie digital advertising landscape, surveying more than 1,200 marketing and agency professionals across six global markets, namely Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and North America, between June and July.

-- BERNAMA

Quantios Acquires Klea To Speed Up Automation In Corporate Services

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Quantios, the global provider of Wealth and Corporate Services software as a service (SaaS) solutions, has completed the acquisition of Klea, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered legal entity management (LEM) tool.

Backed by Hg and EQT, in a statement, Quantios said it is committed to leading digital transformation for trust and corporate service providers (TCSPs).

By combining Klea’s AI-enabled legal entity management tool with Quantios software, corporate legal teams and multi-client service providers will now have access to comprehensive automated workflow solutions.

Quantios Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Guy Harrison said the combination of Klea and Quantios affirmed the company’s commitment to digitising the TCSP industry by accelerating its ability to automate core corporate service processes.

“Led by Filip, the Klea team has built a best-in-class solution that will increase efficiencies for our customers and corporate legal teams worldwide. We are delighted to be working with them in this next phase of growth for us all,” Harrison said.

Meanwhile, Klea CEO Filip Corveleyn said: “This opens a myriad of new opportunities for our clients and will vastly extend the breadth and depth of our offering. We are excited to work with Guy and his team to advance our AI-powered solution and give clients an efficient and worry-free entity management experience.”

Led by a highly experienced management team, Belgium-based company Klea has built an innovative platform to effectively manage recurring corporate statutory events for a global customer base.

Klea’s collaboration tool provides a single source of truth, streamlining corporate secretarial work for legal teams and giving access to real-time, accurate entity data.

Committed to leading digital transformation for its customers, Quantios partners with close to 700 organisations worldwide, delivering comprehensive SaaS solutions that streamline processes, simplify regulatory compliance and facilitate robust corporate governance.

-- BERNAMA

CT SEMICONDUCTOR LAUNCHES ATP CHIP SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP TECHNICIAN TRAINING CENTER IN VIETNAM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- CT Semiconductor, a member of CT Group, has officially inaugurated and commenced operations of its ATP Semiconductor Chip Technician Training Center at the National Innovation Center (NIC) in Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, Hanoi, Vietnam, on Oct 1.

The centre at NIC is part of CT Semiconductor's broader activities, which include the establishment of three Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) plants (two in the South and one in the North), two research and development (R&D) centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, notably, two customer service centres in Silicon Valley and Phoenix, Arizona.

In a statement, the leader of CT Semiconductor said the Vietnamese semiconductor industry can only develop sustainably and avoid the pitfalls of merely following trends and seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) for reporting purposes by mastering technology and attracting global talent.

Additionally, experienced engineers from various countries will provide specialised training for key personnel through a “Train the Trainer” programme focused on semiconductor chip assembly, testing, and packaging.

These engineers and final-year electronics students will be equipped to master ATP technology. One key feature is that interns will gain hands-on experience with the latest chip inspection machines and become familiar with different types of chips.

This initiative is a practical step toward realising the plan to develop 10 OSAT plants in Vietnam, in line with the Prime Minister’s decision issued on Sept 21, which outlines the strategy for development of Vietnam’s semiconductor industry by 2030, with a vision toward 2050.

What sets CT Semiconductor apart is its independent technology approach, with a comprehensive foundation starting from ATP specialist training, which serves OSAT companies, R&D, and production under the 4.0 model.

On this occasion, CT Semiconductor also introduced the AMB5600 semiconductor circuit and component testing machine, aimed at supporting research and training at the centre. This is the first chip testing machine to be integrated into a training system in Vietnam.

The aspiration to develop Vietnam's semiconductor industry is admirable but still faces many challenges, requiring collective efforts toward a sustainable technological future for the country.

-- BERNAMA

MENLO SECURITY SURPASSES US$100 MLN ARR, LEADING SECURE ENTERPRISE BROWSER MARKET

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Menlo Security, the pioneer of Secure Enterprise Browsers announced the company has surpassed US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and achieved 50 per cent growth in the last 24 months. (US$1=RM4.15)

According to a statement, more than 1,000 global enterprises and government agencies rely on Menlo Security to provide a safe and secure browsing experience, on any browser and any device.

Its chief executive officer and co-founder, Amir Ben-Efraim said hitting US$100 million in ARR is a powerful validation of its vision and a direct reflection of the trust its customers place to secure and manage their browsers.

“Enterprises have recognised the need for browser security and our secure enterprise browser solution provides high efficacy browser security combined with a transparent user experience that is easy to deploy and manage,” he said.

Menlo Security holds US$350 million in total contract value (TCV), raised US$260 million in total funding, and expects to be cash flow positive in 2025, while achieving an impressive 110 per cent in net retention rate (NRR) and growing its gross revenue retention (GRR) by 97 per cent in the last 12 months.

Digital transformation has revolutionised the workplace, enabling online collaboration across organisations. In February, Menlo Security launched the industry’s first cloud-delivered Secure Enterprise Browser solution, delivering a comprehensive approach to protecting enterprise users where they work and securing applications from Internet-borne attacks.

Furthermore, in a recent report, Gartner predicts that by 2030, enterprise browsers will be the core platform for delivering workforce productivity and security software on managed and unmanaged devices for a seamless hybrid work experience.

The Menlo Secure Enterprise Browser solution enables the workspace of tomorrow, providing comprehensive enterprise browser security across desktops and mobile devices to protect users, applications, and data, all while allowing customers to continue using their browser of choice.

Menlo is trusted by major global businesses, including eight of the 10 largest financial institutions in the world, 24 Global Fortune 500 companies, and large government institutions in the United States and abroad.

-- BERNAMA

Eastern Chinese City Observes Confucius' 2,575th Birthday

 

The Confucius memorial ceremony held at Confucius Culture Square in Quzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province on September 28.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The 2,575th birth anniversary of the revered Chinese philosopher Confucius was held on Sept 28  in the eastern Chinese city of Quzhou, located in Zhejiang Province.

In a statement, Quzhou Southern Confucianism Culture Development Center said the ceremonial event seeks to respect the sage and honour rituals as well as promote nationwide worship of Confucius to achieve universal harmony.

Quzhou Southern Confucianism Development Center director, Sheng Xiongsheng said this year, the Confucius worship ceremony has, for the first time, moved beyond the confines of the ancestral temple and taken place at the Confucius Cultural Square located in front of the temple.

"By doing so, it has opened up the participation to representatives from various sectors of society in the city's public space, enabling the general public to take part in honouring and worshipping Confucius.

“This year's ceremony also launched an online initiative for Confucius worship, which has attracted widespread participation from individuals worldwide and from all walks of life,” said Sheng.

Quzhou, with its long history and rich cultural heritage, is renowned as the southeastern gateway and the sacred land of southern Confucianism due to its status as the ancestral home and secondary hometown of Confucius and his descendants.

In 2004, Quzhou revived the interrupted tradition of the Confucius worship ceremony, which had been discontinued for many years, where the worship ceremony in the city stands out for its contemporary and down-to-earth approach, in contrast to traditional Confucius worship ceremonies.

Meanwhile, in May 2011, the Confucius worship ceremony in Quzhou was officially included in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list.

Through innovative initiatives such as the Confucius worship ceremony and the Southern Confucianism season, Quzhou has successfully established the urban brand of a sacred land of southern Confucianism and a land with etiquette.

These efforts have not only enhanced the city's level of civilisation and reputation but also injected new impetus into the high-quality development of the regional economy. By integrating Southern Confucianism into modern life, Quzhou fully demonstrates the contemporary and practical significance of this cultural heritage.

-- BERNAMA